Swiss government opposes Hezbollah ban

The Swiss government on Thursday opposed banning Hezbollah after advocating for a ban on Hamas, who heads the government of the Gaza Strip.

Swiss parliamentary committees had called for Hezbollah to be banned, but in its response made public Thursday, the government argued that the conditions for such a ban were not met. The announcement came on the second day of a fragile cease-fire between the Israeli army and Hezbollah.

The Federal Council (government) stated that one condition of Article 74 of the 2015 Intelligence Act was not fulfilled, as the Lebanese party is neither banned nor sanctioned by the United Nations, ruling out this legal pathway. Regarding the possibility of introducing a new law to ban the group, the Federal Council deemed it “not appropriate at this time to prohibit Hezbollah through a new special law.”

In drafting a bill to ban Hamas, the Swiss government said it was responding “specifically to the unprecedented terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023,” consistent with its practice of banning organizations on a case-by-case basis only “for extremely serious reasons.”

The parliamentary committee for security policy of the lower house noted that “Hezbollah, like Hamas, is a radical Islamist terrorist organization responsible for numerous acts of violence and human rights violations.”

“The ideological and financial support provided by the Iranian regime clearly shows that it is not only directed against the state of Israel but also poses a threat to the stability of the entire region,” the committee added, calling for “consistent measures.”

Parliament will review the government’s position during its Dec. 2-20 session and will vote on the bill to ban Hamas, according to the Swiss news agency Keystone-ATS.

The bill proposes banning Hamas for five years. The cease-fire halts a war that began after Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israeli territory on Oct. 7, 2023.

Le gouvernement suisse se dit opposé à l'interdiction du Hezbollah