Switzerland’s parliament has called to stop channeling massive funds to radical NGOs with terror links that work to push forward the BDS boycott movement that economically attacks Israel.
The call by the parliament was made in a resolution initiated by MP Christian Imark, and it received backing from 41 MPs of various political stripes, reports Switzerland’s Basler Zeitung on Monday.
In the resolution the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) was told to stop all funding, both direct and indirect, to organizations involved in “racist and anti-Semitic actions” and BDS campaigns, in a call that could end the massive funding Switzerland provides to anti-Israel NGOs that operate in the Jewish state.
The report in total listed 44 NGOs being funded by the Swiss government that “are opposed to negotiations with Israel and peace, and work for a boycott of Israeli products.”
One of those groups was Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), which Israel has blacklisted for its work funding Hamas. FDFA reportedly forked over $182,000 to IRW in 2015.
Also on the list was Badil, which rejects “with words and pictures the existence of Israel, and this contradicts official Swiss foreign policy,” reports the article.
Radical NGO Adalah got around $71,000 and Gisha got $61,000 from Switzerland last year according to the report, which noted Gish fights “against Israeli security measures,” while Adalah opposes “the Jewish character of Israel.”
The article added that the Swiss government’s executive council, the Bundesrat, is obligated to respond to the motion calling to cut the funding.