Swiss NGOs call for resumption of aid payments in the Middle East
Palestinians queue to collect water during the ongoing Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Rafah on November 18
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
In an open letter, 15 Swiss aid organisations and associations active in the Middle East have called on the Swiss government to resume aid payments to NGOs in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
العربية
ar
منظمات سويسرية تدعو الحكومة إلى استئناف التمويل في الشرق الأوسط
According to the letter, which has been seen by the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA, the government has not provided a factual and comprehensible explanation for the suspension of payments.
In the letter, the aid organisations also call on the government to create complete transparency about the basis on which the decision to “suspend” the funding of 11 long-standing and audited partner organisations of the Swiss foreign ministry in Israel and the Palestinian territories was made.
The suspension would not only damage the reputation of the organisations concerned but would also send a negative signal to other donors, the statement continued. Furthermore, Switzerland would lose credit as a reliable partner in international cooperation.
The 15 signatories included AllianceSud, the Swiss-Palestinian Association, the Swiss Protestant Reformed Church Aid Organisation (HEKS) and the Swiss Platform for Peacebuilding (KOFF).
In addition, a petition with over 14,000 signatures was submitted on Wednesday, which also calls on the foreign ministry to resume financial support for long-standing partner organisations in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
Bodycams: essential for good law enforcement, or a privacy risk?
Did you ever come across bodycams in your place of residence and if so, how do you think the use of bodycams alter the relationship between the public and (transport) police?
What can be done to protect biodiversity in your country?
Swiss voters are set to decide on a people’s initiative calling for better protection of ecosystems in the country. Have your say on the September 22 vote.
Swiss stock exchange launches climate index for listed companies
This content was published on
SIX, the financial group that runs the Swiss stock exchange, today announced the launch of a new index, the "SIX 1.5°C Climate Equity."
Risk of terror attack in Switzerland higher than before
This content was published on
The terrorist threat in Switzerland has increased since the beginning of the year, warns the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service.
Swiss homeowners ‘should contribute to earthquake insurance’
This content was published on
The Swiss government wants homeowners to shoulder a maximum 0.7% of the cost to insure buildings against severe earthquake damage.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.