Switzerland on Tuesday voted to outlaw Lebanon’s Hezbollah terrorist organization, in a rare move for the historically neutral country.
The ban passed the lower house of the Swiss Parliament by 126-20 with 41 abstentions, after being approved in the upper house last week, according to Reuters.
It has not been established when the ban will take effect.
Proponents argued that Hezbollah was a “threat to international security” and that the decision would allow Switzerland to “take a stand against terrorism.”
Opponents—including the Swiss government—argued that the ban would violate Switzerland’s commitment to neutrality, according to the report.
“If Switzerland now moves to ban such organizations with special laws, we must ask ourselves where and how the boundaries are drawn,” said Justice Minister Beat Jans during the parliamentary debate.
Jewish groups applauded the move.
“We warmly welcome Switzerland’s decision to outlaw Hezbollah,” wrote the European Jewish Congress. “The move sends a powerful message that there is no place for terrorist organizations in a just and secure world.”
They added that the decision was “particularly significant for Jewish communities” and Israel due to the ongoing threat posed by the terrorist group.
The move comes a week after the Swiss parliament approved a five-year ban on the Hamas terrorist group in response to its brutal massacre in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The European country had previously only banned Al Qaeda and Islamic State, which are on the United Nations’ list of designated terrorist organizations.
