Israel criticises Swiss decision to host Middle East conference in Geneva on Friday

Israel says it "strongly rejects the planned conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention" due to take place in Geneva on March 7. Keystone-SDA

Israel has condemned Switzerland for planning to host a meeting on international humanitarian law in the Middle East next Friday in Geneva. The United Nations General Assembly asked Switzerland to organise the
conference last September.

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Since the UN resolution passed in New York almost six months ago, Israel has made no secret of its opposition to the holding of a conference of the 196 parties to the Geneva Conventions.

In a statement published on the platform X on Monday, the Permanent Mission of Israel to the UN in Geneva said it “strongly rejects the planned conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention”, set to take place in the western Swiss city on March 7.

It described the planned event as “part of the legal warfare against Israel”.

This time Israel has taken aim at Switzerland, the guardian of these humanitarian treaties. The Israeli mission said the Swiss decision to convene the conference “at this sensitive juncture demonstrates that this conference serves merely as another platform to attack Israel, a democratic country, and embolden terrorist organizations that have shown utter disregard for humanity and the law”.

The meeting will be technical, and should result in a reaffirmation of international humanitarian law. Israel, however, denounces in advance a “revisionist” approach that would “reinterpret existing legal obligations as well as not allowing member states to properly express their reservations – further proves that the conference is driven by a one-sided narrative”.

Adapted from French by DeepL/sb

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