On 29 October 2024, under the leadership of Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, the UN Security Council addressed the current situation in the Middle East. Since the terrorist attacks by Hamas on 7 October 2023, violence has escalated in Israel, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem and has now spread to the entire region. Hamas is still holding 97 hostages, hostilities in Gaza continue, countless civilians have been killed and the humanitarian situation of the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip is catastrophic.
Words are no longer enough
The resolutions that the UN Security Council has since adopted with Switzerland's support call for the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages, a ceasefire in Gaza, compliance with international law, the protection of the civilian population and unhindered access for humanitarian aid. ‘None of these resolutions has been implemented. The Geneva Conventions, like international law, are regularly violated by all actors, state and non-state,’ the head of the FDFA emphasised in New York. Appeals to the parties to a conflict to implement Security Council resolutions lose their meaning when all parties fail to fulfil their responsibilities.
Responsibility to protect civilians
In view of this, states must take responsibility for greater humanity in war, a responsibility incumbent on them as signatories to the Geneva Conventions. ‘We need a strong commitment from all the High Contracting Parties,’ Mr Cassis told the Council. In this context, Switzerland, as depositary state of the Geneva Conventions, is preparing to organise a conference of high contracting parties on the implementation of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, in Geneva.
The laws adopted yesterday in the Knesset that are aimed at preventing the presence of UNRWA in Israel and its activities in the occupied Palestinian territory are not only largely incompatible with international law, but also threaten the humanitarian aid for the civilian population, which is suffering greatly. Aid that has been provided through UNRWA to date. Switzerland expects Israel to fulfil its obligations under international law, including the UN Charter and international humanitarian law.
A ceasefire and a two-state solution
Humanitarian aid is crucial for civilians in need, but it does not provide a lasting solution to this conflict. ‘It is time to find a way out of this conflict,’ emphasised the Swiss foreign minister. Peace must be achieved through political means. In concrete terms, a short-, medium- and long-term ceasefire agreement can help. Furthermore, Switzerland remains convinced that a negotiated two-state solution is possible to enable the Israeli and Palestinian people to live in peace and security. In this context, Switzerland supports any initiative in this direction. These include the mediation efforts of the United States, Qatar and Egypt for the release of the hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza, as well as the launch of the ‘International Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution’, which will take place in the presence of Switzerland in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh on 30 October 2024. ‘Switzerland calls on all parties to the conflict to participate in good faith in the negotiations and to fulfil their obligations under international law,’ Mr Cassis told the Security Council.
