Swiss parliamentarians want to stop UNRWA funding

UNRWA is responsible for underpinning many vital services and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. Keystone-SDA

On Monday, one of the two chambers of parliament in Bern voted to immediately stop payments to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

The motion proposed by David Zuberbühler from the right-wing Swiss People’s Party was accepted by 99 votes to 88, with seven abstentions. The dossier yet needs to be discussed in the Senate.

The motion to cut the funding was based on allegations of UNRWA employees having links to Hamas and that anti-Israel prejudice was stoked in schools run by the organisation.

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The Social Democrats, Greens and Liberal Greens voted against the motion. The right-wing Radical-Liberals and the Centre Party were divided.

In May, the Swiss government approved a contribution of CHF10 ($11.78 million) to UNRWA for emergency aid. On Monday, it again argued that an immediate stop to payments would have serious consequences for the population in Gaza, where UNRWA underpins much of the infrastructure and logistics for humanitarian aid.

+ Read more about the allegations against UNRWA in Gaza

“Without the cooperation of UNRWA staff, it would be almost impossible to help,” said Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis.

The House of Representatives also adopted a separate motion on Monday calling on Switzerland to directly support aid efforts by other organisations in the Gaza Strip rather than UNRWA. This motion would also imply cutting direct transfers to UNRWA in future. This issue will also go to the Senate for a decision.

Adapted from German by DeepL/dos

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