Switzerland bans Lebanon’s Hezbollah, a week after it proscribed Palestinian group Hamas

Switzerland’s parliament on Tuesday approved a proposal seeking the ban of Lebanese terror group Hezbollah on the grounds of it being a paramilitary terrorist organisation.

The move comes days after the country signed off a law banning Hamas from conducting any activity in Switzerland. The approved proposal will now be passed on to the Federal Council which will draft legislation to implement the ban.

By moving the proposal, Switzerland has joined a list of countries including the US to ban both Hezbollah and Hamas.

Switzerland generally maintains neutrality and has previously not subscribed to the stance that the two groups are terrorist groups. But that view shifted last year after Hamas launched its large-scale attack against Israel on October 7.

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After banning Hamas, the Swiss government clarified that this decision did not represent a significant shift in its typically cautious approach to banning organisations. It did not simultaneously ban Hezbollah, stating that such decisions would be made on a case-by-case basis and only for exceptionally serious reasons.

Why has the Swiss govt banned Hezbollah?

In a statement, the Swiss Parliament said, “Hezbollah, like Hamas, is a radical Islamist terrorist organization responsible for numerous acts of violence and human rights violations. Operating as a paramilitary and political force in Lebanon, it is considered a terrorist organization by several states and organizations, including the United States, Germany, Canada, the European Union, and most Arab states. The ideological and financial support it receives from the Iranian regime clearly demonstrates that it is not only directed against the State of Israel but also represents a threat to the stability of the entire region.”

“Following the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, Hezbollah positioned itself as an ally of Hamas. The organization announced that it would support Hamas with everything it had, including rifles and rockets. Since October 8, Hezbollah has been bombarding northern Israel from Lebanon,” it added.

Why has it banned Hamas?

After Hamas’ October 7 attack, the Swiss government drafted a law banning the Palestinian terror group over its “unprecedented terrorist attacks” based on the practice of prescribing organisations on a case-by-case basis only “for extremely serious reasons”.