Swiss-Israel Society asks its members to spy on 'opponents of Israel'

By Timo Kirez

GENEVA (AA) - The Swiss-Israel Society has sent an email to its roughly 2,000 members calling on them to spy on "opponents of Israel," Swiss daily Tages-Anzeiger reported on Tuesday.

According to the newspaper, Walter L. Blum, central secretary of the society, wrote in his email that "so-called solidarity" with the Palestinians often has an "antisemitic flavor."

He called for "opposing actors to be systematically monitored." According to the Tages-Anzeiger, Blum also writes: "There are more institutions in Switzerland than we were previously aware of that declare their solidarity with Palestine."

According to the report, the central secretary also provided a list of those that need to be monitored. The list includes major Swiss media companies such as SRG, Tamedia and CH Media, Swiss universities, aid organizations and human rights organizations such as the ICRC and the think tank Foraus.

According to the report, Blum also suggested monitoring the Swiss Federal Administration and the Swiss National Science Foundation. According to the newspaper, Blum also mentioned the Swiss Foreign Ministry and the Swiss Interior Ministry in his email.

The United Nations, the Swiss-Palestinian Association and the Swiss-Palestinian Parliamentary Friendship Group are also mentioned in the email, according to the newspaper.

Carlo Sommaruga from the Swiss Socialist Party (SP) and a member of the Swiss parliament criticized Blum's email.

He told the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper that Blum's actions reminded him of those of Ernst Cincera in the 1970s. Cincera headed a private information group in Switzerland in the midst of the Cold War.

The aim of the group was to prevent left-wing political candidates from being recruited into the federal administration, politics and the private sector.

"These are the methods of authoritarian states, of which Israel is one today," Sommaruga added.