Samir Quntar Criticizes U.S. for Designating Him a Terrorist: "Crude Interference"

Released Lebanese terrorist and Hizbullah operative Samir Quntar responded to the recent U.S. State Department's designation of him as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, along with several Hamas leaders. Calling the decision "Israeli-made," Quntar said that this was "clear aggression" and "crude interference" on the part of the U.S. administration. Speaking on Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV channel on September 9, Quntar also criticized the Lebanese foreign ministry for remaining silent.

Following are excerpts:

Samir Quntar: [My designation as a terrorist] is an Israeli decision, more than an American one. Normally, the U.S. administration makes such decisions in reference to people who harmed U.S. interests, citizens, or institutions. In this case, however, the decision refers to people whose entire activity is against the Zionist enemy, and who have conducted no activity directly against the U.S. administration. Therefore, this decision is clearly Israeli-made. I consider this to constitute a clear aggression by the U.S. administration against citizens who decided to fight occupation and oppression, in order to lift this great burden from their people, whether in Palestine or here in Lebanon.

The mere fact that the U.S. administration decides who is a resistance fighter, who is a terrorist, and who is honorable and who is not is a crude interference and an attempt to impose criteria and values that correspond to American political aspirations, but not to the interests and values of our people, in the framework of our struggle against the Zionist enemy.

On a personal level, this will not affect me. I have no plans to go on vacation in the U.S. anyway. I am here, among my people, and in the ranks of our resistance, so on a personal level, this will only make me more determined to fight injustice and to replace Falsehood with Truth.

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What strikes me as odd is the silence of the Lebanese foreign ministry. The foreign ministry should have at least protested this clear action against Lebanese citizens.

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