swissinfo.ch
As guardian of the Geneva Conventions Switzerland has the moral authority to seek action over Israeli “violations” of international law, says the chief Palestinian negotiator.
This week Saeb Erekat and his Israeli counterpart Yitzhak Molcho held a second round of exploratory peace talks in Jordan – the first since direct talks stalled in late 2010 – but no tangible progress emerged.
The next steps are unclear, but the Palestinians say they are considering resuming their push for United Nations membership as well as ways to isolate Israel at the UN, such as a new resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The Swiss may find themselves integrated into this new strategy. Erekat told swissinfo.ch that the Palestinians see Switzerland as a “model” in terms of respect for international law and human rights.
“Switzerland has the moral authority and responsibility to bring the signatories of the Geneva Conventions together to pressure Israel to stop violations of international law in the occupied territories,” he said.
“I doubt if there is a single clause of international law relating to the treatment of civilians in situations of war that Israel has not violated.”
For the Palestinians the most serious violation committed by Israel involves the issue of settlements. Erekat added: “The Geneva Conventions prohibit an occupying power from removing a population from their lands and transferring their own people to the occupied territory.”
“In addition to the settlements, there are numerous other violations of the Geneva Conventions: the destruction of thousands of Palestinian homes, confiscation of land and systematic attacks that have killed thousands of civilians.”
Geneva Initiative
The Swiss foreign ministry would not comment on any specific new role.
But it acknowledged that recurrent violations of international humanitarian law by different parties made a solution to the conflict “increasingly difficult”.
Switzerland meanwhile continues to reaffirm its commitment to seeking solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
read more on SWISSINFO: http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/Palestinian_envoy_highlights_Swiss_role.html?cid=31935534
A Palestinian shepherd walks near the Jewish settlement of Revava, near the West Bank village of Salfit (Keystone)
Categories: Asia, Europe, Palestine, Switzerland
Unfortunately the Palestinians are expecting too much from the Swiss. They may ‘preserve’ the document (piece of paper) of the Geneva Convention, but do not really follow up on all contraventions. They should!