A group of NGOs in Switzerland filed a petition against Swiss Defense Minister Ueli Maurer, who announced he would make an official visit to Israel to meet with Israeli war minister Ehud Barak next month.
Human rights organizations insisted that the Swiss government should cancel Maurer’s visit scheduled for October 8, arguing that it represents unilateral support for Israel’s military occupation and conflicts with Switzerland’s commitment towards Mideast peace based on international law.
According to the petition issued Wednesday, the organizations demanded that the Swiss Federal Union freeze all forms of military cooperation with Israel and all other Mideast countries until immediate action is taken to lift the blockade imposed on Gaza and to implement recommendations of the Goldstone report for war crimes the Israeli army committed in its last war against the Gaza Strip.
The petition stressed the need to respect human rights and international law, calling for a conference to be held between all signatories of the fourth Geneva convention for the purpose of taking measures to defend civilians in Israeli occupied lands in Palestine, based on a UN mandate issued in November, 2009.
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