Swiss parliament blocks attempt to criminalize Israel boycott

‘The Swiss upper house on Tuesday aborted an attempt to criminalize the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign for Palestinian rights.
During the debate, the country’s foreign minister criticized the original anti-BDS motion, saying it threatened the essential right of civil society to criticize governments.
The upper house, the Council of States, did vote in favor of a motion that calls on the government to review its regulations to ensure organizations involved in “racist, anti-Semitic or hate-motivated actions” do not receive funding from the Swiss state.
But the text of the upper house motion differed substantially from an anti-BDS measure that had passed in the lower house, the National Council, in March.’
Read more: Swiss parliament blocks attempt to criminalize Israel boycott