Ex-governator pumps up Austrians
Arnold Schwarzenegger helps sway his native country to back the EU Hezbollah declaration
Monday’s EU decision to blacklist Hezbollah’s military wing as a terrorist organization came about with unlikely help from a man no stranger to kicking terrorist butt and taking names.
Famed bodybuilder, action movie star and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger, who hails from the small village of Thal, Austria, sent a letter to Austrial Chancellor Werner Faymann urging him to support the measure, Maariv reported on Monday. This, along with a plea from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was the straw that broke the camel’s back, the report said.
The terror designation plan only passed Monday after several holdout European countries, including Austria, were finally convinced that Hezbollah warranted such a designation.
The measure required unanimous approval of all 28 EU member states, making Schwarzenegger’s contribution crucial to the termination of Hezbollah’s standing in Europe.