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July 4, 2006

The Swiss government has said publically Israel has "not taken the precautions required of it in international law" in their offensive in Gaza. Israel has said the operation is to free a kidnapped Israeli soldier.

Switzerland is the state where the international convention on human rights, the Geneva Conventions, were signed; and the state claims it is neutral in international affairs.

The rules, which Switzerland say Israel have broken, prohibit the deliberate targeting of services essential to the civilian population.

These include water and electricity. Israeli forces, in what they said was part of an effort to free a kidnapped soldier, destroyed a power station on June 28 that provided most of the power to residents of the Gaza Strip.

"There is no doubt that Israel has not taken the precautions required of it in international law to protect the civilian population and infrastructure," said a Swiss Foreign Ministry Spokesman

"The destruction of a power station, the attack on the offices of the Palestinian prime minister, the arbitrary arrests of a large number of democratically-elected representatives of the people and ministers... cannot be justified," he continued.

The Israeli ambassador to Switzerland in Bern, Aviv Shir-On, replied to the Switzerland statement.

"We are disappointed that the Swiss government did not issue such statements when Israel's civilian population was constantly under attack from the Gaza Strip," he said.

It is not the only time the Swiss government has commented in the midst of Middle Eastern turmoil.

Earlier this year, the 2006 Swiss President Moritz Leuenberger said the international block on funding to the Palestinian authority was a mistake, a claim Israel rejected.

He said that the newly elected Hamas government should have been given the chance to prove it could work, a statement is similar to what aid agencies had been saying. Israel had said the Hamas organisation had terrorists.

Humanitarian consequences

The statement from Switzerland comes amid concern among aid agencies at the humanitarian situation in Gaza. UNICEF says there have been elevated levels of stress and trauma in young children.

The WHO (World Health Organization) says essential medical supplies have run low and doctors and nurses have found it hard to get to their workplace. Israel defence forces have put restrictions on movement in Gaza.

These agencies do not want the military operation by Israel to cause serious humanitarian consequences for people living in the region.

The power station that was destroyed by the Israeli forces on June 28 provided 43 per cent of Gaza's electricity. Around 700,000 people have been affected by the power cuts.

Water supplies have also been badly hit as not all water pumps can continue to work normally, and in addition there is a lack of gasoline and other fuels, according to the Swiss government.

In response to the situation, the Swiss government has earmarked one million Swiss Francs for essential medical supplies for the civilian population in Gaza.

Switzerland also gave one million Swiss Francs for medicines in June, 2006 through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

A Swiss expert has been deployed to Gaza to ensure the smooth running of the humanitarian operations.

Sources

• Imogen Foulkes "Switzerland decries Gaza campaign". BBC, July 3 2006

• No Author known-- "Swiss urge Israel to respect humanitarian law". Swissinfo, July 3 2006