Tue, Jun 4th 2024
Swiss National Council votes against recognizing Palestine.
The Swiss National Council does not want to recognize Palestine as an independent state. On Tuesday, it rejected a motion from SP ranks, effectively removing the issue from the table.
The large chamber voted against the postulate by Fabian Molina (SP/ZH) with 131 votes to 61 and 2 abstentions. Only the SP and the Greens supported it, but the topic sparked numerous questions and sometimes emotional debates in the Swiss National Council.
Recently, Norway, Ireland, and Spain announced their recognition of a Palestinian state. The initiative called for the recognition of Palestine on the condition that Israeli hostages taken by Hamas are released.
According to the motion, the Federal Council would have been “invited” to follow this decision and communicate it through usual diplomatic channels.
Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis stated that Switzerland continues to support a two-state solution where Israel and Palestine can coexist within recognized borders. However, the Federal Council does not believe that the time is right to recognize Palestine.
©Keystone/SDA
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