October 7, 2023: Shockwaves tear open rifts in Switzerland
Published: Friday, Oct 4th 2024, 09:20
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The terrorist attack by Islamist Hamas on Israeli border areas on October 7, 2023 and the subsequent war in Gaza and Lebanon sent shockwaves all the way to Switzerland. One year on, the rifts remain deep.
Hamas caused a massacre with around 1200 dead in its terrorist attack a year ago. In addition to a festival, the terrorists mainly targeted civilians in the border area between Gaza and Israel. They kidnapped around 200 hostages, half of whom are now dead. According to Hamas, 40,000 people have died in the Israeli counter-attack in the Gaza Strip so far. Around 1000 people are said to have been killed in Lebanon.
In Switzerland, the terrorist attack and its consequences had repercussions at all levels. Anti-Semitic attacks and insults multiplied. The most serious attack took place in Zurich on 2 March, when a radicalized youth seriously stabbed an orthodox Jew. At the same time, hundreds of students took part in pro-Palestine rallies and university occupations.
At a political level, the Federal Council is blocking the payment of ten million francs to the UN Palestinian Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) due to Israeli accusations. Other states have long since resumed these payments, as there is no alternative to the organization in dealing with the severe humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
Taking a unilateral position
Geri Müller, former Green National Councillor and President of the Swiss-Palestinian Association, told the Keystone-SDA news agency that Switzerland had taken a one-sided position in favor of Israel from the outset. In doing so, it had ignored numerous gray areas, for example with regard to the Israeli army's orders on October 7.
Bern is constantly repeating the mantra of the two-state solution, while at the same time parliament refuses to recognize Palestine as a state. "Switzerland has clearly proclaimed the position of international law since 1899, but here, of all places, it is breaking away and supporting Israel's biblical right," Müller concluded.
Switzerland should "name and shame Israeli crimes and break off all cooperation, especially in the military sphere", Müller demanded. The Swiss-Palestinian Association expressly condemned the Hamas massacre a year ago.
Justified self-defense
Corina Eichenberger-Walther, Central President of the Swiss-Israeli Association and former FDP National Councillor, saw the shadow of Iran behind the latest developments in the war. It had become clear that Iran was not only seeking to destroy Israel, but was now a global threat.
Israel is exercising its right to self-defense. Hamas was the aggressor and not Israel. This had been forgotten at universities. At pro-Palestine demonstrations, there are repeated calls for violence, she criticized.
When asked about a possible peace in the Middle East, Eichenberger-Walther explained: "Looking back on the many occasions when we thought we were on the verge of an agreement, now is not the time for conjecture. Only when the guns fall silent can we look to the future again."
For Geri Müller, peace requires equality. "Israel has clearly opted for apartheid and expulsion," he said. Democracy does not exist under these conditions. That is why concrete steps towards change are needed. Müller also recalled the statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "We need Hamas to prevent the two-state solution."
Political solution needed
Not all Jewish organizations in Switzerland support Israel's policy. For the Jewish Voice for Democracy and Justice in Israel/Palestine (JVJP), the war of retaliation is leading to disaster. Only a political solution can bring lasting peace to the Middle East.
The JVJP sees a glimmer of hope in the conference organized by Switzerland on behalf of the UN General Assembly on the protection of the civilian population in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. This is due to take place in mid-March 2025.
The Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG) did not want to comment in the same article as Geri Müller. The SIG describes the latter as being close to Hamas.
©Keystone/SDA
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