Switzerland’s parliament has voted to outlaw Hezbollah and Hamas in a rare decision for the neutral country, banning the terrorist organisations just over a week apart from one another.
On 11 December, the Swiss Senate and House of Representatives accepted a government proposal drawn up in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas which sought to ban the terrorist group for an initial period of five years with the option of extending according to legislative procedure. On 17 December, the Swiss parliament voted to outlaw the Lebanese Islamist group Hezbollah as well, with proponents of the motion calling the organisation a threat to international security.
The Swiss government opposed the ban against Hezbollah, but it passed the lower house with 126 votes in favour, 20 against and 41 abstentions.
It will be up to the Federal Council to decide on the exact date of the bans’ implementation. Currently, the only groups outlawed in Switzerland are Al-Qaeda and Islamic State.
