The city of Zurich has already sent 380,000 francs to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), Mayor Corine Mauch (PS) told the City Council. The PLR, which planned to contest this payment, described as “scandalous” the fact that it had already been made, as did representatives of the UDC and the Vert’liberaux.
The discussion was started by Ronny Siev (PVL), a staunch supporter of Israel in Switzerland, who called the payment a “slap in the face”. “The money is paid to people who demand the extermination of the Jews,” he argued. It is “surreal that money goes directly into the pockets of Hamas”, also accused UDC Stefan Urech, believing that the Municipal Council should not “do foreign policy”.
For her part, Corine Mauch recalled that Zurich thus provided humanitarian aid, and that UNRWA was widely recognized as being the backbone of this aid to Gaza. She also reports having received many letters criticizing her for this payment, but also messages from many members of the Jewish community, who believed that the aid was thus reaching the population in need.
In addition to this aid to the UN agency, 100,000 francs were allocated to the humanitarian organizations Médecins du Monde and Terre des Hommes.
Israel has long criticized the activities of UNRWA and has notably accused it of having participated in the attack of October 7, 2023. But this country has not provided proof of these assertions, according to the UN. Only doubts concerning nine employees, out of a total of 13,000 collaborators in Gaza, led to the dismissal of these people.
Swiss
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