Swiss parliament votes to ban Hezbollah

Switzerland's parliament on Tuesday voted to outlaw Hezbollah, in a rare move by the neutral country that has traditionally followed a policy of promoting international dialogue and mediation.

Proponents of the ban, which was passed by the lower house after receiving upper house approval last week, said Hezbollah was a threat to international security and that Switzerland needed to prohibit it to take a stand against terrorism.

The Swiss government opposed the ban.

"If Switzerland now moves to ban such organisations with special laws, we must ask ourselves where and how the boundaries are drawn," Justice Minister Beat Jans said during the parliamentary debate.

The ban against the Lebanese armed group passed the lower house with 126 votes in favour, 20 against and 41 abstentions.

The security policy committee that proposed the ban argued that Switzerland's mediating role will remain intact thanks to a specific provision on peace talks and humanitarian aid.

Last week, the Swiss parliament outlawed Hamas for the Palestinian militant group's Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in Israel.

Switzerland had previously only banned al Qaeda and Islamic State, which are on the United Nations' list of terrorist organisations.