Switzerland says conditions remain unmet for recognizing Palestine

GENEVA

Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter said Monday that conditions for recognizing Palestine have not yet been met, underlining the need for a permanent ceasefire and stable government.

"We feel that there are some conditions that have to be fulfilled, like all the hostages must return home, and also the dead bodies. There must be a permanent ceasefire, there must be a plan for peace," she said in response to a question by Anadolu during a press conference with the Foreign Press Association in Bern.

Recognition, she said, "may come one day… when the conditions are fulfilled, but there must also be really a stable government, elections and so on."

Asked about whether Switzerland thinks the genocide criteria have been met in Gaza, Keller-Sutter said: "Switzerland condemns every violation of international law. So we condemned the disproportionate intervention of Israel, as well as the terrorist attack of Hamas."

She added: "If there is a genocide or not, will be decided by international courts."

Asked by Anadolu about the recent Zurich canton's refusal to accept wounded children from Gaza for medical care, she stressed that such decisions fall under cantonal, not federal, authority.

Currently, seven children from the Gaza Strip have been receiving treatment in pediatric hospitals across the cantons of Geneva, Vaud, Ticino, Basel-Stadt, Lucerne and St. Gallen. Another 13 children and their relatives are expected to arrive in November.

"This is very natural in Switzerland. The Swiss Confederation, the federal government, doesn't have any hospitals. Health is an issue of cantons, and so if the federal government ... decides to take children from Palestine to Switzerland to give them health care, here they have ... to go and ask the cantons. And some cantons agree, and others don't," the president said. "It's up to them, and it's their field of competence, and they can decide. And we don't comment on decisions of cantons."

According to the World Health Organization, 700 people have died while waiting for medical evacuation from Gaza, and 15,000 patients — including 4,000 children — require treatment abroad.

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Keller-Sutter added there are "worrying signs on the world's stock markets," and that in such times "Switzerland's slowness can cause palpitations," even if it usually allows for well-considered policymaking.

She also referred to Switzerland's dialogue with the US, saying Washington remains a key partner despite rising geopolitical tensions. She said that during meetings with US officials this year, economic security, sanctions policy and the future of multilateral institutions were recurring themes, and that many leaders shared "a convergence of concerns rarely seen before" about global instability.

At the same time, Switzerland is facing "potential 39% tariffs on US imports," she said, noting that Bern is negotiating with US authorities but that final decisions "rest with the US president." Around "8% of Swiss exports are affected," she added, and Switzerland is seeking to diversify trade through agreements with other countries such as India.

During her address, Keller-Sutter also warned of mounting global instability and a weakening of multilateral systems.

"The instability of the economic and political situation was the key talking point during many a discussion," she said, referring to her talks with other heads of state during her presidential year. "There was near-unanimous agreement: free trade and multilateralism are being severely tested."

Although Switzerland is not part of any major political or trade bloc, she stressed the importance of maintaining close relations with the EU, its largest trading partner. She said the consultation phase on a new package of agreements with the EU had finished, and the government would now assess the responses before submitting the dossier to Parliament. A popular vote is likely in 2027.