The Wall Street Journal correctly notes the Treasury Department's designation of al-Manar as a terrorist organization sets the right precedent -- but that the fight against al-Manar and other terrorist-controlled media outlets must continue:
The terrorist designation should also help put pressure on Al-Manar's last remaining satellite carriers. In its heyday, Al-Manar was transmitted via French Telecom's Globecast satellite, and for a while could be seen in the U.S. thanks to Barbados-based Intelsat and Brazil's Hispamar. But a concerted lobbying effort by the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies succeeded in persuading most of the carriers to drop Al-Manar.
Today, only Saudi Arabia's Arabsat and Egypt's Nilesat carry the station, and both governments have rebuffed U.S. entreaties to take it off the air. That may change if either company turns out to be liable to designated-terror penalties. The Bush Administration might also consider a wider range of sanctions, such as barring Arabsat and Nilesat executives from entering the U.S. until Al-Manar is taken off the air.
Al-Manar is hardly the only Arab channel that routinely broadcasts murderously anti-Semitic or anti-American shows. Nor is it likely that simply putting Al-Manar out of business will end terrorist media: The Iranian chapter of Hezbollah has announced its intention to set up a new channel, Khaiber TV. But by taking action against Al-Manar, the Bush Administration has set the right precedent against the worst offender. Let's hope it can enforce it.
The entire piece is here.
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