Swiss government stops funding for three Palestinian NGOs

An Israeli watchdog said the affected groups had ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

NOVEMBER 27, 2023 06:18

Updated: NOVEMBER 27, 2023 10:09

People hold candles during a demonstration organised by the Switzerland-Israel Association against the attacks by Hamas, outside the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, October 11, 2023. (photo credit: REUTERS/DENIS BALIBOUSE) — People hold candles during a demonstration organised by the Switzerland-Israel Association against the attacks by Hamas, outside the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, October 11, 2023.

(photo credit: REUTERS/DENIS BALIBOUSE)

The Swiss government will be terminating its support for three Palestinian-affiliated NGOs - the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO), and Al-Shabaka, according to a statement released by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs last week.

The FDFA’s decision comes on the heels of its suspension of the delivery of funds to eleven Palestinian NGOs in October following Hamas's brutal attacks of October 7 that left 1,200 people dead. That move was made pending “an in-depth analysis of the compliance of these organizations’ communications with the FDFA’s Code of Conduct and anti-discrimination clause, to which external partners are subject.”

The Jerusalem-based watchdog group NGO Monitor has published detailed claims of PCHR’s and PNGO’s links to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror group. The three NGOs posted statements following the Hamas attacks, "belittling, if not justifying" the atrocities, the watchdog said in a press release.

People attend a demonstration organised by the Switzerland-Israel Association against the attacks by Hamas, outside the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, October 11, 2023. (Not the demonstration mentioned in this article.) (credit: REUTERS/DENIS BALIBOUSE)

Swiss government to consider Hamas ban

The Swiss government also said on Wednesday that it has decided to propose a ban on the terrorist group Hamas.

A ban on Hamas is "the most appropriate response to the situation that has prevailed in the Middle East since 7 October," when the terrorist group launched an attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip, said the government in a statement.

Reuters contributed to this report.