Western officials protest over Israel Gaza policy

Palestinians carry a body from the rubble of a destroyed mosque in Deir Al Balah, Gaza Strip, February 4, 2024, following an Israeli air strike. Keystone / Mohammed Saber

Officials and civil servants in the United States and Europe have signed a statement warning that their own governments' policies on the Israel-Palestinian war could amount to "grave violations of international law".

In the open letterExternal link published on February 2, the officials say their administrations risk being complicit in “one of the worst human catastrophes of this century”.

The anonymous signatories believe that it is their duty to speak out on the policies pursued by their governments when they are “false”. The letter was signed by diplomats, senior officials and civil servants from the United States, eleven European countries – including Switzerland, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy – and European institutions. In total, nearly 800 people signed the declaration, according to the British media BBC.

The exact number of Swiss employees who signed the text is not known. But Swiss public radio, RTS, confirmed that the declaration had circulated within federal administrations.

The signatories note in particular that Israel has shown no boundaries in its military operations in Gaza, resulting in tens of thousands of civilian deaths. “The support from our governments was given without real conditions or accountability,” they declare.

“There is a plausible risk that our governments’ policies are contributing to grave violations of international law, war crimes and even ethnic cleansing or genocide,” they say.

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The officials call on their governments to stop claiming that Israeli operations in Gaza are justified and urge them to force Israel to respect international humanitarian standards.

They advocate an end to military support, a lasting ceasefire, full humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip and the release of Israeli hostages.

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The declaration also calls for a “sustainable peace strategy that includes a secure Palestinian state and guarantees for Israel’s security.”

Swiss position

The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) refused to comment on the open letter. 

The president of the Foreign Policy Commission of the House of Representatives, Laurent Wehrli, said he understood the emotion of the signatories, especially in view of the “extremely serious” situation in Gaza. But Switzerland is not complicit in what is happening there, he said, adding that a solution can only be found among Arab countries.

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Carlo Sommaruga, a Swiss senator and a member of the Foreign Policy Commission, told RTS that the open letter proves that the signatories have not been listened to. He highlighted double standards between official positions on the war in the Middle East and other conflicts around the world. These officials do not “feel complicit in a political position which is legally and morally unacceptable”, he declared.

He criticised the Federal Council’s position regarding the Israeli-Palestinian war and Switzerland’s passivity towards Israel. “Beyond the condemnations, Switzerland has done nothing. On the contrary, it has withdrawn its progressive support from the organisations that defend human rights in Palestine,” said Sommaruga.

“We are completely out of touch with reality… When we do nothing to limit the importation into Switzerland of products that come from Israeli colonies, while we do so in relation to Crimea, we see there is a double standard which the population and these officials [signatories of the declaration] do not accept. The population expresses it by a boycott and the officials by this letter,” he said.

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