Keystone-SDA
The duration of the ban in Switzerland on Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has been in force for a year, is to be extended from five to ten years. In addition, the Swiss government has submitted a draft bill to extend the ban to the Lebanese Hezbollah, at the request of parliament.
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Parliament approved the Hamas ban at the end of 2024. At that time, both chambers also voted in favour of banning the Lebanese Hezbollah. The implementation of the corresponding motion is now taking shape. Interested parties have until October 5 to submit their comments, the government said on Friday.
+ What does a Hamas ban mean for neutral Switzerland?
The government had consistently emphasised that the ban on Hamas should remain an exception. This was justified by the unprecedented nature of the terrorist attacks on Israel of October 7, 2023. A shift towards a culture of banning, involving the creation of actual lists of terrorist organisations, risked undermining Switzerland’s role as a mediator in armed conflicts, it said.
However, the government was obliged to implement parliament’s mandate for a ban on Hezbollah.
Adapted from German by AI/ts
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