Switzerland offended by Israel
Posted on May 5, 2008
Filed Under Israel, News, Politics
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This week Israel is celebrating its 60th anniversary since re-establishment in 1948. Many distinguished guests from all over the world were invited, including from Indonesia – the largest Muslim country Israel doesn’t have diplomatic relations with.
As it often happens, someone will necessarily get offended by the way and the manner in which the invitation to such event is issued. In this case it is Switzerland that will be represented at the ceremony only on the level of ambassador in Israel, and not heads of state, as many other countries will.
Via Ynet
BERN, Switzerland - Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey has expressed disappointment that no member of her country’s government is invited to attend the celebration of Israel’s 60th anniversary, according to a Swiss newspaper.
Switzerland will be represented at the festivities through its ambassador in Tel Aviv, she told the weekly Sonntag, published Sunday.
“But, personally, I am disappointed that our country was not invited at government level,” she was quoted as saying.
I guess she can be disappointed, but not surprised, since those are the fruits of Swiss alleged neutrality and desire to deal with the enemies of the State of Israel who threaten to wipe the Jewish state off the map.
Speaking of neutrality. The claim by Swiss is completely ridiculous. No country is neutral, neither it should be. Switzerland might put up a show of neutrality by not participating in certain international institutions, but it is anything but neutral. Switzerland is doing what is best for Switzerland (just as it should), and it means that once in a while it takes sides, since this country does not exist in the political and economical vacuum.
With the growing global trends that necessarily influence the economy of every country, every town and every village, Switzerland demonstrated how it acts in its sole interest and how it takes sides, when despite being urged by the international community not to do so, Switzerland struck a mega deal with Iran ($28 billion worth).
In the interview with Sonntag, Calmy-Rey defended the deal by saying every state has the right to pursue its economic interests and that Switzerland is not the only country to buy Iranian oil and gas.
She also reaffirmed Switzerland’s commitment to talking to all parties in the Middle East conflict. “Switzerland has never taken sides, neither in the Middle East conflict nor anywhere else in the world,” Sonntag quoted her as saying.
Calmy-Rey has supported the so-called “Geneva Accord” - an alternative Middle East initiative worked out after two years of Swiss-funded secret negotiations between Israeli opposition figures and Palestinians. The deal would have mapped out borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state, but it was never officially endorsed by either side.
“As a neutral state we talk to everyone,” Calmy-Rey was quoted by Sonntag as saying.
Geneva Accord - an absolutely useless piece of paper (one of many), produced and endorced by Israeli and Palestinian socialists who have very little, if any, influence on their respective public opinion. Nobody ever took this initiative seriously, except the initiators themselves. It was a paper, it remained a paper.
Oh yes, they do talk to everyone - even the most vile creatures in the human form that walked this planet - this I agree with. But then, don’t be disappointed and surprised when you’re disliked by someone who is nothing but neutral and might get endangered and hurt by your “neutral” actions.
And after all, $28 billion from Iran will sooth the Swiss minister’s disappointment
