Switzerland should not stop payments to the UN Palestinian Relief and Works Agency
Published: Thursday, Oct 17th 2024, 14:30
العودة إلى البث المباشر
In a letter, around twenty former Swiss state secretaries, ambassadors and Middle East specialists are calling on the Council of States not to stop payments to the UN Palestinian Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). The National Council decided in September that Switzerland should stop funding the UN Palestinian Relief and Works Agency.
In the letter, the signatories write that no non-governmental organization, not even the Red Cross, can replace the UN Palestinian Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
The National Council's decision was fueled by rumours that were "based on unfounded interpretations and not on facts and the reality of the human suffering of an oppressed population". This is what the signatories of the letter, including former State Secretary Jacques de Watteville and former Federal Prosecutor Carla del Ponte, wrote.
In particular, it is wrong to claim that UNRWA is an ally of Hamas, according to the letter, which was reported by "Le Temps" and "Blick" on Thursday and is available to Keystone-SDA.
No evidence
A UN investigation from April of this year concluded that "Israel has provided no evidence of the involvement of UN staff in the attacks on Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023". An administrative UN investigation, on the other hand, had acknowledged a possible link in nine cases. As a result of the report, Japan, Germany, Italy, Australia, Canada and the UK resumed their funding.
Currently, the catastrophic health and nutritional situation of the 2.2 million inhabitants of Gaza urgently requires help that only UNRWA can provide. This is according to the Observatoire Ethique et Santé Humanitaire, founded by the former President of Médecins du Monde Switzerland, Nago Humbert, which initiated the letter.
On September 9, the National Council voted 99 to 88 with 7 abstentions in favor of a motion by the SVP to cut off UNRWA's funding, contrary to the opinion of the responsible committee and the Federal Council. The latter had already approved funding of CHF 10 million for the agency instead of the CHF 20 million originally planned for 2024. The Council of States will decide on the matter at the end of October, according to Le Temps.
©كيستون/إسدا
Arabic 
English 
German 
French 
Spanish