Wed, Oct 25th 2023
Switzerland is suspending its financial support to eleven Palestinian and Israeli non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This was announced by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) on Wednesday.
The decision was taken due to the new situation since Hamas’ attack on Israel last October 7 and the resumption of hostilities in the Middle East, the FDFA added.
Six Palestinian and five Israeli NGOs were affected. These organizations are mainly active in the field of human rights and are supported within the framework of the Department’s cooperation programs in the Middle East.
The decision would allow for an in-depth analysis of the compliance of these organizations’ communications with the DFA’s code of conduct and anti-discrimination clause, to which the external partners are subject. The DFA’s cooperation activities in the Middle East would have to adapt to the new context that has prevailed since the resumption of hostilities. The relevance and feasibility of the programs would therefore have to be analyzed in general.
The FDFA attaches great importance to ensuring that its financial support is used appropriately. It carries out systematic checks on all its partners, for example through on-site visits or exchanges with third parties.
Two days after the Hamas attacks on Israel, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis set up a task force to scrutinize financial support for organizations in the Middle East. The task force was also instructed to conduct a detailed analysis of financial flows in connection with the cooperation program in the Middle East.
According to the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland, weeks before the Hamas attack on Israel, it had already investigated whether the Palestinian organization Hamas was financed with money from Switzerland. Criminal proceedings were initiated on suspicion of financing a terrorist organization.
The investigation is being conducted together with the Federal Criminal Police. Federal prosecutor Stefan Blättler did not provide further details on the proceedings when announcing the criminal case so as not to jeopardize the investigations.
©Keystone/SDA
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