Swiss parliament approves a five-year ban on Hamas

The House of Representatives accepted the Hamas ban on Wednesday by 168 votes to six. A faction of the Green Party abstained. The Senate had already agreed to the decree on Tuesday.

The governing Federal Council’s draft bill proposes banning Hamas and related organisations for an initial period of five years. Parliament has the option of extending the ban in the ordinary legislative procedure.

Currently, only the groups Al-Qaeda and Islamic State are banned by law in Switzerland. After the Hamas ban has been passed, it is up to the Federal Council to decide on the exact date of its implementation.

Also on the House of Represenative’s agenda on Wednesday was a committee motion calling for a ban on the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah. Due to lack of time, however, the motion was not discussed. The Senate approved an identical motion on Tuesday.

Source » swissinfo.ch