Foreign ministry appeals for calm in Jerusalem

On Monday over 300 people were reportedly injured as Palestinian protesters and Israeli police clashed in the Holy City. Keystone / Atef Safadi

Switzerland has added its voice to growing international calls for an end to violence in Jerusalem, following a week of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police.

The foreign ministry said on Sunday it was concerned about the escalation of violence in the city – the worst in recent years – and called on all sides to defuse tensions.

The clashes erupted a week ago in anticipation of a court ruling – since delayed – on whether dozens of Palestinians can be evicted from the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, close to the Old City in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, to make way for Jewish settlers.

Evictions of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem are in contravention of international humanitarian law, the Swiss foreign ministry pointed out.

On Monday over 300 people were reportedly injured as Palestinian protesters and Israeli police clashed on Temple Mount. The violence coincided with “Jerusalem Day”, a celebration marking the 1967 capture of East Jerusalem that involves a flag-waving march in the evening by Israeli nationalists. The event organisers announced late on Monday that the march was cancelled due to clashes earlier in the day, news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Call for restraint

The United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union – all members of the Middle East Quartet, whose mandate is to help mediate peace in the region – have called on Israel to “show restraint”. Arab states in the region have also called for calm.

The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the situation in Jerusalem but would not issue a joint statement, according to AFP.

Finding a two-state solution to the long-standing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is one of the priorities of the Swiss government’s foreign policy strategy in the Middle East. The foreign ministry repeated on Sunday that it “remains at the disposal of the parties to facilitate the resumption of dialogue”.