Switzerland concerned about implications of Israel’s laws against UNRWA
Select your language
Generated with artificial intelligence.
Listening: Switzerland concerned about implications of Israel’s laws against UNRWA
The Israeli parliament voted overwhelmingly on Monday in favour of a bill banning the activities of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in Israel, despite objections from the United States and the UN.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Keystone-SDA
العربية
ar
سويسرا قلقة بشأن تداعيات القوانين الإسرائيلية على الأونروا
“Switzerland is concerned about the humanitarian, political and legal implications of these decisions,” stated the Swiss foreign ministry on social media platform X.
The text was approved by the Knesset by 92 votes to 10. Israel has long been highly critical of the UN agency and has accused some UNRWA employees of having taken part in the terrorist attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023 and of being fighters for Hamas.
For the head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini of Switzerland, the ban “sets a dangerous precedent” and is the latest episode in “an ongoing campaign to discredit” the agency. He felt that the ban would “exacerbate the suffering of the Palestinians”.
If this ban is implemented, “it will be a disaster, particularly because of the impact it is likely to have on humanitarian operations in Gaza and in several parts of the West Bank,” UNRWA spokeswoman Juliette Touma told press agency AFP.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu said that Israel, which strictly controls the entry of international aid shipments, was “ready” to provide humanitarian aid to the territory.
“We stand ready to work with our international partners to ensure that Israel continues to facilitate humanitarian aid to Gaza in a way that does not threaten Israel’s security,” Netanyahu stated on X.
More
More
Swiss parliamentarians want to stop UNRWA funding
This content was published on
On Monday, one of the two chambers of parliament in Bern voted to immediately stop payments to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
The UN Security Council, including the United States, warned Israel on October 10 against passing this law, the day after a similar warning from UN Secretary General António Guterres. The text, passed at first reading in July, proposed banning “UNRWA activities on Israeli territory”, including East Jerusalem.
UNRWA, created by the UN General Assembly in 1949, manages health centres and schools in Gaza and the West Bank, and is considered to be the backbone of international aid to Gaza, which is in the throes of a humanitarian disaster.
Some of the biggest donors suspended their contributions earlier this year after Israel accused around twenty of the agency’s 13,000 employees in Gaza of involvement in the terrorist attack on October 7, 2023. Most donors have since resumed their support, with the notable exception of the main donor, the United States.
Adapted from French by DeepL/ac
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
Popular Stories
More
Foreign affairs
Go to war or stay put? Ukrainian men in Switzerland face fresh dilemmas
Is reforming the Swiss pension system still possible, and if so, how?
Solutions still need to be found to meet the challenge of an ageing population and to improve the pensions of low-paid workers, the majority of whom are women.
Swiss to reduce administrative burden on farms from 2026
This content was published on
From 2026, the number of inspections of farms is to be reduced, without any loss of quality, said economics minister Guy Parmelin.
Swiss insurance boss proposes Singapore-style healthcare system
This content was published on
CEO of Swiss health insurer Sanitas has said that healthcare costs could be reduced if Switzerland were to follow the Singapore model.
Swiss minister talks crime and security in visit to the Netherlands
This content was published on
Swiss justice minister Beat Jans spent two days in the Netherlands discussing security, police cooperation and justice with international bodies.
Study finds more heavy metal detected in Swiss grassland
This content was published on
Copper and zinc can be expected to accumulate in the soil, particularly if farmyard manure is used for several years and is greater than the amount of nutrients absorbed by the grass. This was announced by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) on Friday. The findings are based on the results of the seventh National Soil Monitoring of Switzerland (Nabo).
Lilo Baur wins Swiss Grand Prix for performing arts
This content was published on
The Swiss actress and theatre director Lilo Baur has received this year's Swiss Grand Prix for Performing Arts, also known as the Hans Reinhart Ring.
Court rules al-Qaeda supporter can stay in Switzerland
This content was published on
A Kurdish supporter of the Islamist terrorist network al-Qaeda can stay in Switzerland, the Federal Administrative Court has ruled. It has withdrawn the annulment of the man’s provisional admission.
This content was published on
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) has closed criminal proceedings relating to the Swiss owners affected by the Volkswagen “Dieselgate” emissions scandal.
This content was published on
The employment outlook in Switzerland will remain stable towards the end of 2024, according to the KOF Swiss Economic Institute at ETH Zurich.
Swiss woman accuses Donald Trump of sexual assault
This content was published on
A former Miss Switzerland candidate has accused Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her in New York in 1993. The US Republican candidate’s campaign team has denied the accusations.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.