For fear of terror: VBS watered down the Hamas ban

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The shock was great. The will to act is the same: after the terrorist attack on Israel last October, Parliament and the Federal Council wanted to ban Hamas. And fast. Minister of Justice Beat Jans (59) appeared before the media in February to present the necessary legal basis for this.

But now previously unpublished documents show that the federal government has significantly watered down the proposal under pressure from the Ministry of Defense (VBS) of federal councilor Viola Amherd (61). The people of Amherd even threatened not to support the project if the text was not defused, reports the “NZZ am Sonntag”.

Warning about espionage and terror

The original version from the leading Federal Police Office (Fedpol) would ban Hamas and its subsidiaries and successor organizations – as well as “organizations and groups that agree with Hamas in terms of leadership, objectives and means.” This wording angered the DDPS: it demanded that the passage be removed.

Amherd officials criticized Fedpol’s bill for being too broad and creating ambiguity. It could be interpreted that not only Hamas would be considered banned in the future, but also militias close to Iran or the Lebanese Hezbollah. Problems may also arise in dealing with states such as Turkey or Iran. The DDPS does not specify exactly what bilateral difficulties could threaten it. It declined to comment further when asked by “NZZ am Sonntag”.

The DDPS made its concerns more than clear internally: “If the law were to be passed in this form, Switzerland would clearly position itself as friendly to Israel and hostile to Iran.” The DDPS even wanted to recognize a danger to Switzerland in the new law: “The threats from banned intelligence services and terrorism could increase. “It would also lead to diplomatic and humanitarian consequences.” It was clear to the DDPS that it did not want to sign the concept in this form.

“Utterly scandalous”

The confrontational course was successful. The Federal Council weakened the draft ban against Hamas. The controversial passage has been removed; The law remains non-binding: in the future, the Federal Council may ban organizations that agree with Hamas “in terms of leadership, objectives or means.” This means: He decides on a case-by-case basis.

The approach left people in Parliament shaking their heads. “The law prohibits a terrorist organization. And if we ban Hamas, then it makes sense to also ban organizations that are largely identical to Hamas,” says FDP president Thierry Burkart (48). However, the weakening makes solutions possible and is therefore incomprehensible. “I deeply regret that the federal government has relented on this issue and watered down the law,” Burkart said. “When it comes to terrorism, there can only be one attitude: Switzerland should not tolerate such organizations.”

The SVP also shows little understanding. It is strange that the DDPS has weakened the original design. “The justification is absolutely outrageous,” said Peter Keller, deputy secretary general of the SVP. “The ban on terrorist organizations has nothing to do with an ‘Israel-friendly’ attitude, but is in Switzerland’s interest and a requirement for internal security.”

It is now up to Parliament to decide which version of the law it wants to help bring about. (dba)

Source:Blick