'Criminal-State' rallying the troops!

BRUSSELS — European Union foreign ministers on Monday added the military wing of Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militant group, to a list of terrorist organizations. But questions immediately arose about the effectiveness of the accompanying sanctions, which are expected to include asset freezes.
European diplomats said government experts would need a day or more to agree on how to phrase language to punish only the armed wing of Hezbollah, which is also Lebanon’s most powerful political party and runs schools, clinics and hospitals....
But asked about the effectiveness of the measures, one European Union official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity ahead of a formal declaration, said the move was first and foremost “a political signal” to Hezbollah.
The move could pave the way for travel bans on individuals, which could help stop terrorist attacks on European Union territory. But imposing such bans would require the union to take additional steps that would be far from straightforward.
Also complicating the application of the decision is the intense secrecy surrounding Hezbollah’s military activities. While the group’s political leaders are well known, its fighters hide their affiliation, sometimes even from their own families....
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel welcomed the move,... President Shimon Peres of Israel said, “Your decision sends a clear message to terror organizations and the countries which harbor them that their murderous actions will not be tolerated.”...
Following the decision, Mr. Hague, the British foreign secretary, sought to reassure other member states that support for Lebanon, including significant aid payments, would remain intact....
Kamel Wazne, a Lebanese analyst and director of the Beirut-based Center for American Strategic Studies, said that by designating only the military wing of Hezbollah, the Europeans appeared to want to maintain dialogue with others in the group, including its Parliament and cabinet members. He doubted that such a strategy would work.
“This probably closed some of that dialogue because in my estimate Hezbollah will say, ‘We don’t have a military wing or a political wing; we have one party,'   " he said. “This will complicate the situation.”