On Wednesday, the Swiss government initiated proceedings to shut down the Geneva branch of the disastrous Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations (ESA) had earlier notified GHF that it was in violation of certain legal requirements and demanded clarification by the end of June. The notice of dissolution was published on Wednesday, July 2, by the ESA in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce. “GHF confirmed to the ESA that it had never carried out activities in Switzerland... and that it intends to dissolve the Geneva-registered [branch],” the ESA statement said.
Whether by intention or incompetence, the failures of GHF to meet legal obligations is not terribly surprising, given the fact that it was created and brought in to displace long- and well-established UN and other aid organizations which had been successfully operating in Gaza for years. GHF has been denounced by many as violating the basic principles of humanitarian aid and human rights, and calls for its closure abound. At the time of this writing, more than 500 Palestinians have been killed and 4,000 wounded by Israeli troops while attempting to access food and aid supplies at GHF sites.
