Zurich authorities want ‘no taxpayer money for terrorists’

Zurich cantonal parliament has voted against recognising the state of Palestine. However, it has provisionally supported a motion calling for “no taxpayers' money for terrorists”, with 77 votes in favour. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The individual initiative "No tax money for terrorists" was not explicitly directed against an organisation, it said on Monday. However, the canton and municipalities would have to scrutinise the recipients according to sanctions lists or bans by democratic states, for example. Susanne Brunner from the right-wing Swiss People's Party spoke of a "self-evident fact". Mario Senn from the centre-right Radical-Liberal Party also found the proposal sensible. "State payments should be as transparent as possible," he said. Nicola Siegrist from the left-wing Social Democratic Party read between the lines that the UN's Palestinian Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) was meant. The city of Zurich donated to UNRWA last year. A ban would ...