Press Releases

In a crucial decision, the Swiss Parliament has rejected a motion (by a vote of 25 to 19) to defund the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), defying pressure from the Israeli regime and its allies to dismantle the agency. BADIL’s and the Global Palestine Refugee and IDPs Network (GPRN) welcome this move, which ensures that Switzerland upholds its humanitarian obligations and continues to support the most essential UN-mandated body providing vital aid to Palestinian refugees.

The Israeli regime has long sought to eliminate UNRWA as part of its broader strategy to erase Palestinian refugee rights and prevent their right to reparations. The Swiss decision represents a critical rejection of these efforts, standing against Israeli colonial- apartheid policies that aim to strip Palestinian people of their inalienable rights to self-determination and Palestinian refugees and IDPs of their right of return, as well as the essential services they are entitled to. Nevertheless, other European nations have committed to defunding UNRWA, including the Netherlands and Sweden. Thus, whilst today remains a victory for justice, UNRWA, and the lives of Palestinian refugees, it exists in an alarming climate where attacks by the Israeli regime and its Western allies on this lifeline remain consistent.

BADIL and the GPRN therefore urge other states to follow Switzerland’s lead and take further steps to strengthen UNRWA’s position:

1. Expanding diplomatic, economic, and military sanctions on Israel for its obstruction of UNRWA’s operations;
2. Declaring UNRWA’s international legal protection inviolable and rejecting Israeli efforts to criminalize its work;
3. Ensuring that UNRWA remains free from political interference and fully able to carry out its mandate;
4. Rejecting any attempts to alter UNRWA’s neutrality in ways that serve the Israeli regime's settler-colonial agenda.
5. Establishing a mandatory UN fund to safeguard UNRWA’s financial stability against politically motivated defunding;

Switzerland’s decision is a victory for Palestinian refugees and UNRWA as it is a crucial step in countering Israel’s campaign of ethnic cleansing. However, continued vigilance is necessary to ensure that UNRWA remains protected and fully funded, allowing it to fulfill its essential mission.