Judea and Samaria at Swiss Foreign Ministry
Judea and Samaria at Swiss Foreign MinistryLev HaOlam

The Federal Democrat Union of Switzerland (UDF) party has brought a petition to the Swiss Foreign Ministry calling on them to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Over 20,000 people signed the petition including activists from the Lev HaOlam Organization, which fights against anti-Israel boycotts.

The UDF is a conservative, nationalist party in Switzerland and was founded in 1975. Its members note that since the party’s founding it has acted to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The current Party President is Hans Moser.

In the party’s guidelines it explains that it is driven by Biblical values and as a result it has taken conservative positions on issues involving family and education.

In a speech by the Party President, Hans Moser explained, “Jerusalem is the capital of Israel since the founding of the state in 1948. Despite that, the embassies of Switzerland and other countries are in Tel Aviv. An embassy should be in a country’s capital where the government is established and this would be the most logical thing to do.”

UDF Party Vice President, Ronald Haldiman, said, “For 70 years Israel and its capital have been neglected, even by Switzerland. However the time has come to emphasize that the relationship between our countries is not mere lip service but involves concrete steps as well.”

Lev HaOlam activists in Switzerland
Lev HaOlam activists in SwitzerlandLev HaOlam

The organizers of the petition brought the signed petitions in boxes to the Swiss Foreign Ministry. They also brought packages with products such as olive oil, wine, chocolate, and other items from Judea and Samaria, which they received through the ‘Lev HaOlam’ Organization.

Attorney Nati Rom, Founder of Lev HaOlam, said, “I am happy to see that more and more countries are looking to join in this move. We must understand that there are many people who see the deep hypocrisy in the discrimination against Israel and refuse to remain silent. They support Israel and we in ‘Lev HaOlam’ meet with them regularly. We see that the number of voices abroad who support Israel continues to grow every day. We are very thankful for this and are happy that members of our organization act for Israel’s benefit around the world.”