Around 150 countries recognise Palestine as a state. Switzerland, for various reasons, is not one of them. At the United Nations conference on the Middle East at the end of July, several Western countries, including the United Kingdom and Canada, indicated that they would soon recognise Palestine as an independent state. France had already announced its intention to do so previously. This means that four of the five members of the UN Security Council – with the exception of the US – are set to recognise Palestinian statehood. Switzerland has long backed the two-state solution to the Middle East conflict. However, it currently rules out recognising Palestine. Here is what you need to know to understand the Swiss position. Where does Switzerland stand on the recognition issue? Switzerland is committed to the two-state solution outlined by the UN, based on the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as the capital. This is sometimes considered unrealistic or impossible, but it remains ...
