Switzerland creates taskforce on Middle East - SWI swissinfo.ch (2024)

Two days after Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis has announced the creation of a taskforce on the Middle East.

In Switzerland pressure is mounting for Bern to ban Hamas, a militant Palestinian organisation, and classify it as a terrorist organisation. An evacuation flight will be operated on Tuesday between Zurich and Tel Aviv, but regular service will remain suspended until Saturday.

“Switzerland stands in solidarity with the people of Israel. And it condemns the terrorist attacks in the strongest possible terms,” Cassis said at a press briefing in Bern on Monday. He offered his condolences to the families of the victims of the attack.

On Monday he held talks with the Israeli ambassador to Switzerland and the representative of the Palestinian Authority in Switzerland. Swiss President Alain Berset also spoke to the Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Cassis said.

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In view of the volatile situation, the government must be able to act quickly and in a coordinated manner, he said. This is the objective of the new taskforce headed by the head of the ministry’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) division, Maya Tissafi.

Hamas and Iran targeted

Switzerland is ready to provide diplomatic support to the parties and the states in the region to work towards de-escalation. It is committed to a two-state solution negotiated by both parties in accordance with international law, Cassis said. In his view, it is likely that Iran was behind the attack, as it was very well orchestrated.

Bern’s stance towards Hamas has nonetheless been criticised by many politicians and organisations in Switzerland. On Monday the Switzerland-Israel parliamentary group called on the government and parliament to reconsider their position and their relations with Hamas, and also with the Iranian regime.

“Our legal situation does not currently allow us to list terrorist organisations,” Cassis pointed out. This does not mean that we cannot act against terrorists, he added, referring to the procedure against al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, which are banned by law.

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Financial support maintained

While the EU has announced that it is freezing its development aid to the Palestinians, Switzerland is maintaining its financial support for the time being. There is no indication that these funds are not being properly used,” Cassis said.

Switzerland funds the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), as well as around 30 NGOs at present. As for the controversial aid to UNRWA, there is no alternative. Until now, Switzerland has supported the relief agency to the tune of around CHF20 million ($22 million) a year.

Repatriation on Tuesday

The first priority is to support the Swiss people on the ground, Cassis said. For the time being, he had no information about Swiss victims or hostages. Foreign ministry staff in both Tel Aviv and Ramallah are safe and the Swiss embassy in Tel Aviv and the representation office in Ramallah remain operational.

The airline SWISS will be repatriating Swiss nationals from Israel on Tuesday, it announced on Monday. A return evacuation flight between Zurich and Tel Aviv will be operated at the request of the foreign ministry. It was already fully booked on Monday. However, SWISS is cancelling all flights to and from Tel Aviv until Saturday October 14 inclusive.

Around 28,000 Swiss nationals are officially registered in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Some 430 people with links to Switzerland are registered in the Travel Admin app.

Travel to Israel remains inadvisable, said the foreign ministry. As a result, Swiss travel agencies must cancel their holiday offers until further notice and work to repatriate tourists.