Zionist Lobby behind Germany’s ban of "Al-Manar" TV station

According to Abdullah Kassir, the manager of Al-Manar, the Interior Ministry decision came as a result of pressure from the 'Zionist Lobby' and infringes upon international laws protecting freedom of the press.

A spokesman for Germany's Interior Ministry said Friday that the decision to ban the channel was made on grounds that it violates the country's constitution.

Interior Ministry spokesman Markus Beyer said Al-Manar television programming was forbidden under Article 9 of Germany's constitution, which says that organizations cannot operate with the purpose of violating international understanding.

Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble ordered the ban on November 11, Beyer said in an e-mailed comment.

Beyer was not more specific on why the ban was instituted, but Hizbullah's Al-Manar television is known to be anti-‘Israel' and frequently broadcasts footage of Hizbullah fighters.

Beyer did not immediately return a call seeking further comment.

Arabic-language Al-Manar is based in Beirut and broadcasts locally and by satellite.

The station has no physical presence in Germany. ‘Israel' and the U.S. consider it a terrorist organization.

Hizbullah, which has been resisting ‘Israel' since the early 1980s, has broad support as a resistance movement among Lebanon's population and in the Arab world.