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Germany and Austria take action after Hamas’s attack on Israel. Funding for development cooperation in the Palestinian territories would be stopped until further notice, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg of the conservative ÖVP announced on Monday morning. In Germany, the Federal Ministry of Development announced on Sunday that it would review its entire commitment to the region.
There is also talk in Switzerland of a stop to aid funds. The FDP calls on the federal government to investigate whether development aid to Palestine should be suspended or stopped altogether. It is also necessary to evaluate “whether to stop aid to Palestinian organizations linked to Hamas,” the party said in a statement. She announced that she will submit an application to the Finance Committee of the Council of States on Monday to gain insight into the financial flows to Palestinian organizations.
Moreover, according to the FDP, the Federal Council must now classify Hamas as a terrorist organization. So far it has been responsible to talk to all parties in the region. The attacks no longer allowed that. A dialogue with people who plan and support such acts is not possible.
“Barbaric terror against Israel’s people”
The SVP called the Hamas attack a “barbaric terror against the Israeli people.” She calls for an immediate end to Swiss financial aid to Palestinian organizations. Furthermore, Hamas should be classified as a terrorist organization and banned. The Federal Intelligence Service must immediately monitor all Hamas supporters and sympathizers in Switzerland.
SVP national councilor Lukas Reimann wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that neutrality and solidarity are not mutually exclusive. He could continue to argue for a neutral Switzerland in which the state does not take sides, and as a private citizen he could still take sides. This is how he does it to Israel.
Switzerland must exercise its duty of care
On Monday, the Swiss-Israeli Parliamentary Group called on the Federal Council and Parliament to reconsider their position and relations with Hamas and especially with the Iranian regime. The Foundation against Racism and Anti-Semitism (GRA) has put much more specific pressure on the Federal Council. Switzerland must exercise its duty of care and take a closer look at where tax money actually flows. She criticizes the fact that Hamas can theoretically still finance itself through Switzerland, as the organization is not classified as a terrorist organization in this country. The foundation has no concrete evidence that Swiss taxpayer money ends up with Hamas.
However, doubts are also being raised about whether suspending aid funds for Palestine is the right strategy. Ultimately, these are aimed at improving the living conditions of the civilian population, especially in the Gaza Strip. No money flows directly to the Palestinian Authority. This is considered highly corrupt, and President Mahmoud Abbas also expresses understanding for the Hamas attack.
SP-Molina is against stopping aid funds
“With its attack, Hamas cynically turned the Palestinian civilian population into cannon fodder,” said SP foreign policy expert Fabian Molina. He is a member of the Swiss-Palestine parliamentary friendship group.
According to him, Switzerland must continue its work for reconciliation and humanitarian aid. Without support from the international community for the Palestinian civilian population, the risk of further radicalization increases.
In the past, Switzerland supported the United Nations Relief and Employment Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNWRA) with approximately 20 million francs per year. This leaves more than five million people in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. According to information on Monday, the aid organization was sheltering more than 70,000 people displaced by Israeli bombing in 64 of its schools in the Gaza Strip. (SDA/lha)
Source:Blick
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