Label Netanyahu a ‘terrorist’, says Palestinian ambassador in Switzerland

"Hamas is not a terrorist organisation," said Khraishi, pictured here at a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council. © Keystone / Martial Trezzini

The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Ibrahim Khraishi, has condemned the Swiss government's decision to put Hamas on a terror list and its decision to suspend aid to Palestinian NGOs.

Switzerland should consider Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a terrorist, Khraishi said on Thursday.

“Switzerland has relations with Hamas. Hamas is not a terrorist organisation,” Khraishi told reporters in Geneva. In his view, the Islamist group is part of Palestinian society. The Federal Council recently decided to explore legal options that would allow Hamas to be considered a terrorist organisation.

+ Switzerland considers Hamas a terrorist organisation

“Switzerland and other countries should put [Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich, [National Security Minister Itamar] Ben-Gvir and Netanyahu on a list of terrorists”, he added. Khraishi accused the head of the Israeli government and US President Joe Biden of “lies”, particularly about the beheading of dozens of babies by Hamas. “No one can imagine that; shame on them all”, he said in reference to statements made by the Americans.

He added that he was ready to condemn the actions of the Islamist group when Westerners deplored the deaths of Palestinian civilians. According to him, nearly 7,000 of them have been killed in the last two weeks.

Khraishi asked the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, to check the list of Israeli victims. “We don’t trust them”, he said of the Israeli authorities.

Similarly, the Palestinian ambassador said he was “surprised” by the announcement on Wednesday by the Swiss foreign ministry that it was suspending aid to six Palestinian NGOs. He also rejected the accusations of those who claim that these entities embezzle the funds they receive. “We would not authorise any money laundering by NGOs”, he said.

He said he would be going to Bern next week to see the foreign minister, Ignazio Cassis.  The Palestinian Authority still believes that Switzerland has a role to play in calming the situation.

+ Switzerland suspends funding of 11 Palestinian and Israeli NGOs

At the UN Security Council, “Switzerland has had a fair and acceptable dialogue” that it should use with the other members, Khraishi said. He also appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to unblock the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

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