“There is no functioning government.”
Keystone-SDA
A Swiss parliamentary chamber has rejected an attempt to force Switzerland to recognise the state of Palestine.
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Lawmakers at the House of Reprsentatives voted against the proposal by 116 votes to 66 (11 abstentions), which followed the view of the Senate.
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The chamber endorsed the recommendation of its foreign policy committee that, as things stand, the conditions for recognition are not met. In particular, an independent and operational government is lacking, according to the majority of the committee.
Moreover, recognition would be contrary to neutrality and would deprive Switzerland of the possibility of acting as a mediator for a solution to the conflict.
Those in favour, especially on the left, argued that such a step was necessary, following the example of other countries (so far the State of Palestine is recognised by 148 out of 193 countries), in order to counter the annexationist aims of Israel.
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This would make the two-state solution advocated by Switzerland more distant, they argued.
If Switzerland wants to be credible and consistent with regard to the two-state solution, it must join the ongoing process of recognition of Palestine, which is a prerequisite for peace, according to Laurence Fehlmann Rielle.
Denying that recognition would have any repercussions on Switzerland’s neutrality, he argued in vain.
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Swiss initiative demands Palestinian state recognition
Translated from Italian with AI/mga
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