One of the minds behind the pro-Palestinian demonstration in Bern: a Swiss activist has connections to Hamas

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Several thousand people took to the streets of Bern on Saturday to demand an end to the war in the Gaza Strip. Controversial slogans considered anti-Israel were also chanted.

The French-speaking Swiss activist Anouar Gharbi, among others, called for the demonstration, the “SonntagsZeitung” reports. He has connections to Hamas. In the summer of 2021, he met Hamas boss Ismail Hanija (61) in Turkey. The newspaper published a photo showing Haniya, Gharbi and others from Geneva. The US had already classified Haniya as a terrorist at that time.

The US has sanctioned the Gharbi association

As the “SonntagsZeitung” writes, the Swiss from Tunisia has been campaigning for the Palestinians in French-speaking Switzerland for thirty years. He helped found the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement in Geneva. This international movement advocates, among other things, a boycott of Israeli products. BDS Switzerland distances itself from anti-Semitism, but campaign representatives deny Israel’s right to exist.

Gharbi also founded a pro-Palestinian association in the 1990s, which ended up on the US Treasury sanctions list for alleged ties to Hamas.

In the crosshairs of federal investigators?

When asked by the newspaper, Gharbi declined to comment on his proximity to Hamas. Instead, he referred to a comment that said the West’s “broad support for Israel in its war against the Palestinians” would “not be ignored” by international courts.

No Swiss aid money went to organizations linked to Gharbi. This is reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, the Federal Public Prosecution Service has started an investigation to determine whether and through which channels Hamas is supported from Switzerland. The Federal Public Prosecution Service does not say whether Gharbi is also being targeted by investigators in this context. (lha)

Source:Blick