The Swiss government is calling a conference of signatories to the Fourth Geneva Convention next Wednesday, and it is expected to go rough on Israel.  Nations are expected to criticize Israel for building Jewish settlements on Palestinian lands.

A draft resolution calls on Israel from any activity that changes the demographic balance in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem.  The conference is also expected to condemn Hamas and other terrorist organizations for their widespread use of human shields. 

After five months of consultations with the 188 governments signed onto the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Swiss government is confident that is has the international backing to pass the resolution at the 17 December conference, to which all nations are invited to send a delegation.

Israel will not be doing that.  Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nachshon said that Israel will boycott the conference, and is already in the process reassessing its cooperation with Switzerland on other diplomatic initiatives.  Israel is especially ticked off that in 60 years, there’ve only been two meetings of the Geneva Convention – and both were about Israel and the Palestinians, bypassing every other war and conflict in the world.

The 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention is recognized as International Law, even of non-signatory nations.  It says that civilian populations in conflict zones or in occupied areas must be protected from harm.  It also requires occupying powers to preserve the human rights of the occupied civilian population as well as its property and enable a routine lifestyle for the occupied population.