Ambassador: Israel and Switzerland ‘don’t agree on everything’

Israel's ambassador to Bern, Ifat Reshef Keystone-SDA

Israel's ambassador to Bern, Ifat Reshef, maintains that Switzerland and her country enjoy friendly relations on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But she reiterates her criticism of certain Swiss positions within UN bodies.

Bern and Israel do not agree on everything. “At the time of the October 7 attack, Switzerland was for the first time a non-permanent member of the Security Council, and I have not always been happy with the positions it has taken and continues to take,” declared Reshef on Saturday in Le Temps.

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She cites a recent vote at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, where Switzerland “once again voted in favour of a text that accuses us, without mentioning Hamas or the massacre”.

According to the ambassador, Israel is not only subject to a “double standard”, it is “subject to impossible demands”.

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‘Tear down the masks’

Commenting on the increase in anti-Semitic acts or words in Switzerland, Reshef said it was “very painful and alarming to see Swiss citizens suffering because they are Jewish”. She sees a peak in anti-Semitic acts just after October 7, when Israel had not yet begun its ground offensive in Gaza.

“This gives the impression that people were just waiting for an excuse to drop their masks,” said the diplomat. She maintains that Switzerland remains in a much better position than its neighbours, and praises local and cantonal initiatives to combat anti-Semitism.

Legitimate” criticism

As “the ambassador of a democratic state, Israel, in another democratic state, Switzerland”, Reshef says that freedom of expression is a fundamental value, “therefore criticism of Israel is legitimate, even if I don’t agree with it”.

And she stresses that she does not represent the Jews of Switzerland. “Swiss Jews do not represent Israel. I therefore find it scandalous that people are putting pressure on Jews to distance themselves from the policies pursued by Israel”.

However, the agenda is similar when it comes to combating anti-Semitism. As an Israeli diplomat, fighting anti-Semitism “is my sacred mission”, says the ambassador. The fight against anti-Semitism is a task we all share — in Switzerland, it is first and foremost a Swiss responsibility, she states.

Translated from French by DeepL/ds

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