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For the Israeli ambassador to Switzerland, Ifat Reshef, the fight against anti-Semitism is on the common agenda. (archive picture)
Keystone
According to the Israeli ambassador in Bern, Ifat Reshef, Switzerland and Israel maintain a friendly relationship. However, she said that she did not always agree with Switzerland's positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Switzerland and Israel "do not agree on everything", said Ambassador Reshef in an interview with the French-speaking Swiss newspaper "Le Temps" on Saturday.
At the time of the attack on October 7, 2023, Switzerland was a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the first time, she said. She had not always been happy about the positions Switzerland had taken and continued to take.
She cited a recent vote at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, in which Switzerland "once again voted in favor of a text that accuses us without mentioning Hamas or the massacre". According to the ambassador, Israel is not only subject to "double standards", but is also "subjected to impossible requirements".
On the rise in anti-Semitic acts and statements in Switzerland, Reshef said it was "very painful and alarming to see that Swiss citizens are suffering because they are Jewish". She had already noticed a peak in anti-Semitic acts shortly after October 7 - even before the start of the Israeli ground offensive in Gaza.
"This gives the impression that people were just waiting for an excuse to drop their masks," said the diplomat. Switzerland is still in a much better position than its neighboring countries. Reshef praised local and cantonal initiatives to combat anti-Semitism.
As an "ambassador of a democratic state, Israel, in another democratic state, Switzerland", Reshef considers freedom of expression to be a fundamental value: "Criticism of Israel is therefore legitimate, even if I don't share it."
She emphasized that she does not represent the Jewish community in Switzerland: "Jewish Swiss do not represent Israel." She therefore finds it "scandalous when people put pressure on Jews to distance themselves from Israel's policies".
As an Israeli diplomat, combating anti-Semitism is "my sacred mission", says the ambassador. Combating anti-Semitism is a joint task for everyone: in Switzerland, it is first and foremost a Swiss responsibility.
12.04.2025, 06:00
