Switzerland confirms Israeli president hit with criminal complaints during Davos visit

Isaac Herzog, president of Israel, speaks during a plenary session of the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), in Davos, Switzerland, on January 18, 2024. © Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller

Swiss prosecutors on Friday confirmed that Israeli President Isaac Herzog had been the subject of criminal complaints during his visit to the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, as Israel finds itself accused of committing war crimes in Gaza.

“The criminal complaints will be examined according to the usual procedure,” the Office of the Swiss Attorney General told the Keystone-SDA news agency, adding that it would contact the Swiss foreign ministry to examine the question of immunity of the individual concerned.

The office would not reveal details about the complaints.

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The Keystone-SDA agency said the complaints come from a group called “Legal Action Against Crimes Against Humanity”. It says it hopes to open a criminal investigation in parallel with the proceedings before the International Court of Justice. “We are convinced that Switzerland has an obligation to conduct an investigation,” it said in a press release.

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Switzerland has already disregarded diplomatic immunity in the past, the group points out, citing the example of former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh. The same should apply to “Western criminals”. The press release does not specify what the Israeli president is accused of.

Israel is currently facing charges of genocide before the United Nations International Court of Justice in connection with its military operation in the Gaza Strip. This military campaign was launched after the Hamas attack against Israel on October 7, which killed around 1,140 people. More than 24,000 other people have died in Gaza following the Israeli offensive, the majority of them women and children.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited the WEF in Davos on Thursday. In his speech, he denounced the “evil empire” led by Iran. In the longer term, “we want to achieve peace”, he insisted.

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