(MENAFN- Swissinfo) For years Switzerland has been discussing the role of the UN agency and its potential involvement in fomenting the divisions between Palestinians and Israelis, but since the October 7 Hamas attacks, the debate has become more heated than ever.
How is the debate on this issue unfolding in Switzerland?
Last Friday, UNRWA announced it had sacked 12 of its staff members over their alleged involvement in the attacks perpetrated by Hamas on October 7. On Monday, the Wall Street JournalExternal link wrote that around 10% of UNRWA's staff in Gaza have links with Hamas or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.
While several countries have almost immediately suspended funding to UNRWA, Switzerland, like the European Union (EU), decided to wait for the results coming out of the UN investigation before deciding how to proceed.
In 2018, Foreign Affairs minister Ignazio Cassis accused UNRWA to be part of the overarching problem in the Middle East . His claim at the time caused outrage among many. But now Cassis seems to have more support.
Last December, the House of Representatives voted in favour of cutting funding to the organisation. The ensuing discussion created divisions within the Swiss parliament, but ultimately, a compromise was reached. A cut of the general humanitarian budget by CHF10 million ($11.6 million) was agreed without specifying exactly where the money should be saved.
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Now the political landscape appears to be tilting towards Cassis' critical stance on UNRWA, particularly due to the allegations of antisemitic teaching in schools operated by UNRWA in Gaza.
Who is speaking out against UNRWA?
According to the Wall Street Journal, seven school teachers were among the 12 UNRWA employees sacked because of their alleged links to the attacks. Pierre-André Page of the Swiss People's Party told Swiss public radio RTS on Saturday that when he visited an UNRWA school last year he was denied access to classrooms and textbooks.“This proves that there were serious problems with this organisation,” he said.
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Some are also worried about Swiss money ending up in the hands of terrorist organisations and call for zero tolerance on the matter. The intelligence report cited by the Wall Street Journal revealed that since October 7, Hamas has stolen more than $1 million (CHF862,700) worth of UNRWA supplies. The report claims that Hamas operatives are involved in coordinating transfers for the UNRWA aid-delivery enterprise. Hans-Peter Portmann, from the Radical-Liberals, told Swiss public television SRF:“We will call on the Swiss government to take action and stop the funds immediately – without going through Parliament.”
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