- Switzerland should partially maintain financial support for the Palestinian relief organization UNRWA.
- The responsible National Council commission decided this, but at the same time it formulated conditions.
- UNRWA must be able to guarantee that the money will only be used for humanitarian aid.
The Foreign Policy Commission of the National Council (APK-N) has met several times on this topic in the past few weeks. In view of the catastrophic humanitarian situation currently prevailing in Gaza, Switzerland’s support for UNRWA should be partially maintained, Commission President Laurent Wehrli told the media in Bern.
Specifically, the APK-N is calling on the Federal Council to provide a first tranche for UNRWA. She decided this with 13 votes to 11. However, the aid organization must be able to guarantee that the Swiss money will only be used for emergency aid and humanitarian aid. You have to go through the channels that still work locally, Wehrli added. With this decision, the APK-N is opposing the Federal Council. He wanted to decide at a later date whether UNRWA should continue to be supported.
Legend:
Commission President Laurent Wehrli (FDP/VD) and Vice President Sibel Arslan (Greens/BS) comment on the APK-N’s decisions in front of the media.
KEYSTONE/Alessandro della Valle
The commission did not quantify the amount of the partial contribution to UNRWA. The Federal Council will have to decide on this. Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis announced on the sidelines of an event that the Federal Council would deal with the dossier “promptly”. Switzerland was originally supposed to pay 20 million francs for 2024.
No direct money transfers
In the medium term, however, Switzerland should no longer finance UNRWA directly, according to the commission. She submitted a corresponding motion with 12 votes to 9. According to the text of the motion, a wide range of relief efforts, such as food and medication deliveries, should be supported directly financially or materially – regardless of who carries out the logistical implementation on site. This is intended to ensure that the aid supplies reach the Gaza Strip via secure corridors and can be made available to the population free of charge.
Legend:
Two children in a refugee camp in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. (Image from April 26, 2024)
Keystone/EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
Switzerland is one of the UN agency’s largest donors. However, it suspended the payment after Israel accused UNRWA staff of being linked to the October 7 massacre. The ICRC and other humanitarian organizations had recently made it clear that they could not replace the work of UNRWA.
UNRWA chief partly relieved
At an event in Geneva, UNRWA Secretary-General Philippe Lazzarini expressed his delight at the APK-N’s recommendation to continue providing partial support to the agency. He believes it is important that Switzerland continues its humanitarian tradition in the region.
When asked about the submitted motion, Lazzarini said he hoped that this would not happen “until Switzerland and the other member states have worked towards the establishment of a Palestinian state,” that is, before the agency can withdraw from the region.
The pressure to release the funds is also increasing in Switzerland. In a newspaper advertisement published at the beginning of the week, several dozen Swiss personalities called for the blocked UNRWA funds to be released. These include the former SP federal councilors Micheline Calmy-Rey and Ruth Dreifuss.