Swiss delegation discusses solutions for Gaza employees

A Swiss delegation arrived in the Gaza Strip on Monday and discussed a proposal for solving the issue of the Palestinian employees recruited by the Hamas government in Gaza, Anadolu Agency reported.

Senior leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Jamil Mizher said that the Swiss delegation discussed the proposal with five Palestinian factions, including Hamas, Fatah, Islamic Jihad, Popular Front and Democratic Front. The factions’ representatives accepted it as a base for the solution of the problem “if there is a real will”, he said.

Mizher said that the Swiss delegation gave “satisfying” answers for several questions posed by the factions. He added that there would be further meetings.

Meanwhile, Hamas Spokesman Ismail Ridwan said that although the Swiss delegation provided positive input, there are still many questions that require “detailed answers”.

“The Swiss Proposal needs detailed and specialised study,” he told Anadolu Agency. “We hope that this problem is sorted out soon in order to turn the page of suffering of these employees.”

Switzerland proposed the solution for the employees in October 2014. The ‘Swiss Proposal’ included a UN-monitored solution. On 11 March, Palestine’s Ambassador to the United Nations Ibrahim Khreisheh said that the PA President Mahmoud Abbas had accepted the proposal.