National Council committee speaks out in favor of Gaza emergency aid
Published: Thursday, Jun 13th 2024, 12:20
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The Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council approves the Federal Council's decision to make an emergency aid contribution to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees in the Near East, subject to certain conditions. The contribution of CHF 10 million may only be used to finance urgent needs in Gaza.
The Gaza Fund set up specifically for this purpose is to be financed with CHF 10 million from the blocked funds for the UN relief organization, as the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council (FAC-N) announced on Thursday.
The Commission stated that the payment must be earmarked for "essential goods" and that the funds may not be used to cover the general operating and administrative costs of the aid organization.
At its last meeting, the Commission adopted a motion calling for the 2024 basic contribution to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees (UNRWA) to be converted into direct emergency aid for the Palestinian population. At the beginning of July, the committee will also discuss the development of the situation on the ground, UNRWA and the parliamentary motions on future measures, it added.
The background to this is the temporary suspension of payments to the Palestinian relief organization by various states in the context of the allegations against UNRWA. There were accusations that UNRWA schools in the Palestinian territories were inciting hatred against Israel and glorifying terrorist attacks.
The Israeli government also accused the UN aid agency of implicating several of its employees in the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023. A UN investigation found that the aid organization generally maintained its neutrality well, but that improvements were needed.
According to the Federal Council, the Swiss contribution of CHF 10 million will be limited to Gaza. It will be used to finance the most urgent needs of the people in the area, such as food and basic medical care.
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