Switzerland ‘extremely concerned’ about spiralling violence in Middle East
At the UN Security Council, Switzerland has strongly condemned Hamas’s recent rocket fire on Israel and Israel’s attacks on a camp for displaced people in Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
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Swiss UN Ambassador Pascale Baeriswyl said in New York on Wednesday that Switzerland was extremely concerned about the spiral of violence, which reached a new level at the weekend.
The population in Gaza was in urgent need of protection, having already been displaced, facing the threat of famine and continuing to suffer from the hostilities, she said in a statement released by the foreign ministry. She added that the “indiscriminate rocket fire” on Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas also violated international humanitarian law.
Baeriswyl condemned the violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including repeated attacks on UN facilities in East Jerusalem and on humanitarian aid convoys.
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Switzerland once again appealed to all parties to fulfil their obligations under international humanitarian law, under which they should take precautionary measures to protect civilians and avoid damage to civilian facilities.
The Swiss ambassador to the UN reiterated her call for an immediate ceasefire, for safe and unhindered humanitarian access and for the prompt and unconditional release of hostages.
Switzerland is in favour of a two-state solution in which Israel and Palestine exist side by side within recognised borders.
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Adapted from German by DeepL/kp/ts
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