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Various countries have suspended payments to the Palestinian aid organization. These are also controversial in Switzerland.
The allegations that Israel has made against the UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA are worth talking about: Twelve employees of the agency are said to have been involved in the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7th. The UN Secretary General announces an investigation and is horrified by the allegations.
Meanwhile, several countries such as Great Britain and Italy have suspended their aid funds. The Swiss Foreign Ministry also expressed “extreme concern” about the Israeli authorities’ allegations in a statement to SRF.
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SRF archive
The latest suspicious reports shocked SVP National Councilor David Zuberbühler: “I am firmly of the opinion that Switzerland should stop its payments immediately.”
The SVP politician was convinced of this In December there was already a center-right majority in the National Council. The member of the Switzerland-Israel friendship group referred to reports and his own experiences that anti-Semitism was being fomented in UNRWA schools. The National Council wanted to cancel the Swiss contribution of 20 million francs.
I will probably submit another proposal in the spring session so that these funds are no longer spoken for.
However, the Council of States stuck to the payments. He argued with humanitarian tasks and the wrong signal that a deletion would send. The councils ultimately agreed on general savings in the area of humanitarian actions.
Due to the current allegations, Zuberbühler now a return request. “I will probably submit another proposal in the coming spring session so that these funds will no longer be used. Because I want to prevent anti-Semitism and racism at UNRWA educational institutions.”
Switzerland wants more information about UNRWA
Green National Councilor Felix Wettstein also says that the UN’s Palestinian Relief Agency needs to clean up. The layoffs showed that she was doing the same. “It shows that UNRWA is able to release people if they have shown solidarity with terror or even taken part in it. This suggests that UNRWA is working. If we deny her the money, then she will no longer have any options and will not be able to provide any help to the civilian population.”
The UN Palestinian Relief Agency has been controversial for a long time. Following the new allegations, the Swiss Foreign Ministry (EDA) announced: Whether Switzerland’s annual contribution to UNRWA will be paid out this year will only be decided once more information is available about the serious allegations against UNRWA employees.
Several countries have already suspended funds
Other Western countries are also important donors to UNRWA. The USA and Canada temporarily suspended the provision of additional funds for the UN aid agency. Great Britain, Italy, Germany and Australia also ordered a payment freeze on Saturday.
The United Nations founded UNRWA in 1949 to help Palestinian refugees. According to the organization, around 5.9 million people in Jordan, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories are now entitled to its services.