By Jean-Daniel RUCH
Anyone who still believes in Switzerland must support the lawyers who have filed a lawsuit against Cassis.
It was not long ago that Switzerland could be proud of playing a role in the world. As a recognized neutral power, it could contribute to ending conflicts through discreet mediation or by hosting negotiations between warring parties. As the depositary state of the Geneva Conventions, it advocated for respect for international law in wars and enjoyed high esteem. It placed highly qualified personnel at the service of international justice to punish war criminals. In the Balkans, Carla Del Ponte is still regarded as an icon of justice today. Thanks to her, around a hundred high-ranking Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, and Albanian officials from Kosovo were convicted of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Neutrality and the defense of the rule of law were two pillars of Swiss identity and its reputation in the world.
A break occurred in 2022 when Bern, under pressure from the EU, adopted unnecessary sanctions against Russia. Between 2014 and 2022, we had contented ourselves with ensuring that European and American sanctions were not circumvented. This system preserved the credibility of our neutrality. Why could this system not simply have been continued after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a conflict that is not ours ? This was never explained to us. The break with Swiss tradition continued during the Gaza war, triggered by the massacres committed by Hamas and other Palestinian militias on October 7, 2023. The International Court of Justice very quickly established on January 26, 2024, that there was a risk that the violence of the Israeli retaliation could constitute genocide. International law is clear: every state must do everything in its power to prevent genocide. This is something we failed to do in the 1940s when the Holocaust occurred.
Nevertheless, Bern has continued to authorize the sale of dual-use goods-items intended for both civilian and military purposes-to Israel. These goods could have been used to destroy 90 percent of schools, 80 percent of hospitals, and more than 70 percent of residential buildings in Gaza. And of course, some of these Swiss products may also be responsible for the deaths of 70,000 people in Gaza, including 83 percent civilians-figures confirmed by Israel. Authorizing the sale of these dual-use goods is akin to giving bullets to a person suspected of murder.
Furthermore, the Federal Council sees no problem with private and public institutions investing heavily in the Israeli arms industry. Elbit, which sold the famously non-functional drones to the Swiss Armed Forces (VBS), is a major beneficiary of these financial flows. This, despite the fact that this company has cost Swiss taxpayers 300 million. But even though Switzerland lost a lot of money on this purchase, some are not shy about profiting from it. The former head of Armasuisse, Jakob Baumann, is now Chairman of the Board of Directors of Elbit Systems Switzerland. Financing the Israeli arms industry is like giving money to someone suspected of murder so they can buy a gun.
One could argue that the defense of the law is a legal war, a form of lawfare. But then, should no murderer be brought to justice because they might be a victim of an unjust system ? One could claim that in the Trump era, the law is worthless anyway, that everything is a matter of power relations. But what would be the consequence of abandoning our identity-forming values of neutrality and the rule of law ? Renouncing what distinguishes us is the direct path to Switzerland's subjugation to American and European interests.
Therefore, anyone who still believes in Switzerland must support the lawyers who have filed a lawsuit against Cassis.
Original article: weltwoche.ch