Switzerland contributes to the Palestinian genocide

In 2013, the defense ministers of Switzerland and Israel signed a military cooperation agreement. Since then, Switzerland has been buying and selling weapons and dual-use goods to Israel. The two countries also cooperate in the development of weapon systems. This collaboration has never been suspended. More seriously, from 2024, there has been a significant increase in deliveries of dual-use goods, particularly components for the Hermes 900 drone used in Gaza.

Between October 2023 and April 2024, 20 export permits for dual-use goods destined for Israel were granted to 17 Swiss companies. For specific military goods, 21 export permits were granted to 4 Swiss companies (RTS investigation unit, August 22, 2024). In 2024, exports of dual-use goods (civilian and military) to Israel reached a record 16.7 million and continued to increase in the first quarter of 2025 (Myret Zaki, These 10 countries supplying arms to Israel, June 25, 2025).

Switzerland also participated in the development of the Hermes 900 drone and supplies components for it (Eidgenössische Finanzkontrolle (EFK) no. 18352, July 11, 2019). Used in Gaza (Republik, November 33, 2025; The Palestine Laboratory, p. 80), this drone is produced by Elbit Systems, Israel’s main arms manufacturer. Switzerland hosts a subsidiary of this company on its territory – its board chairman being the former head of ArmaSuisse, Jakob Baumann. Elbit Systems Switzerland and the Swiss army collaborate within a Network and Digitization Center in Uetendorf (Elbit Systems Switzerland website).

Between 2023 and 2025, there were more than 600 trips to Israel by delegations from the DDPS armaments secretariat and 76 by members of the Swiss army general staff (Republik, November 3, 2025).

Finally, in 2025, the Swiss National Bank held 85,930 shares (USD 38.1 million) and UBS held 168,421 shares (USD 75.7 million) of Elbit Systems.

Switzerland does not respect international humanitarian law

Switzerland is the birthplace of international humanitarian law. Even when the United Nations General Assembly asked Switzerland to fulfill its responsibilities as depositary of the Geneva Conventions, Switzerland failed in its obligations. When the independent Commission of Inquiry of the Human Rights Council found evidence of Palestinian genocide and called on all states to impose sanctions against Israel, Switzerland did not follow through.
The Geneva Conventions protect civilians in armed conflict. They prohibit forced displacement of populations, for example. On September 18, 2024, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution ES-10/24 on the legal consequences of the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s advisory opinion concerning Israel’s policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. In this resolution, the General Assembly requested Switzerland, as the depositary State of the Geneva Conventions, to convene a conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, to consider measures to ensure the application of the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. This meeting was to be held within six months of the resolution’s adoption. On March 6, 2025, Switzerland announced that it would not convene the conference.
The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide obliges all States to take measures aimed at deterring a State suspected of preparing and/or committing genocide. On July 19, 2019, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) recommended that all United Nations member states “employ all means reasonably at their disposal to prevent the commission of genocide in the Gaza Strip”, and in particular to “cease the transfer of arms and other equipment or articles to Israel” (ICJ Advisory Opinion of July 19, 2024, paragraphs 272-279). On September 16, 2025, the independent Commission of Inquiry of the Human Rights Council on the Occupied Palestinian Territory reiterated that States must employ all reasonably available means, cease the transfer of arms and other equipment and impose sanctions. Switzerland ignored these injunctions.

Ignazio Cassis’s Responsibility

Mr. Ignazio Cassis should have advocated for all possible measures at his disposal to prevent the perpetration of such crimes and, at the very least, not to facilitate their perpetration in any way. He failed to do so.

As the Head of Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Mr. Cassis had a duty to remind the Federal Council and the Federal Assembly of our country’s obligations as a signatory state and depositary of the Geneva Conventions, and as a signatory of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

“Has the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ignazio Cassis, become a minister alien to his own affairs? The phrase has been popular in Bern for some time. ” June 2, 2025, lematin.ch

He himself was reminded of these obligations by:

Mr. Cassis ignored these calls. And each time he spoke about the situation in Palestine, he echoed the talking points of the Israeli government, particularly those of Israel’s Prime Minister, even after an arrest warrant was issued against the latter by the International Criminal Court. It was as if Mr. Cassis were still vice-president of the Switzerland-Israel friendship group, whose purpose is to “represent Israeli positions in the fields of politics, economy, society, and culture”.