In this open letter to the former Federal Councillor, writer Nadine Richon expresses her concern at the one-sided discourse on Israel and Palestine promoted by the Socialist Party, and calls for greater nuance within this political family.
Dear Ruth Dreifuss,
This letter was prompted by my close reading of the quarterly magazine of the Socialists of the City of Geneva, Common causes October-November 2025. My comments reflect the dismayed questioning of a great many Jewish people in French-speaking Switzerland, as well as their supporters, of whom I am one. Logically - and increasingly so, given the current climate in Europe - this support includes a reaffirmation of Zionism insofar as it has enabled the creation of a state for the Jewish people, entirely shaped by this people, indigenous and from the diaspora, for Jews and part of the Arab Palestinians.
I thought it was a pity that I didn't come across this dense brochure from the Geneva Socialist Party on the question posed by Shimon Peres: why shouldn't the future Palestine, in the same way, include a Jewish minority anxious to live close to its holy sites? I'm sure you appreciate this question as much as I do. Alas, it has never been asked in these twenty or so texts by a variety of writers, but it's true that it raises other thorny questions that are no doubt insoluble in terms of the opinions expressed.
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The first feeling I had when I read this book, which is supposed to be a song of peace, is still vivid in my mind: if you're left-wing, in the sense promoted here, you can't love Israel. It's a terrible turnaround, and not just because of the war, which was unfortunately total, and whose end should have been called for because it was so deadly, as in any context this urbanized, with a large, often very young, population. Common causes meticulously describes the devastating effects, calls for treatment in Switzerland for the severely wounded, the massive return of humanitarian aid, an arms boycott - and I won't dwell on these wise statements.
I also note the attention paid to the West Bank, one of the elements of the peace plan associated with President Trump, 19th But it's impossible to avoid. Doesn't the future of Gaza go hand in hand with that of the West Bank? At least we can say that Common causes asks the question. Without, however, going so far as to amend this partly obsolete publication by associating with it a text on the peace agreement signed on October 13, 2025 in Sharm el-Sheikh. Is it because we are «at a time when the genocide in Gaza is intensifying», according to Dominique Ziegler, and when Dominique Choffat claims to be able to «officially qualify the genocide, at last» and say «the fetid smell» of our Federal Council?
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Alas, the rightful mention of the West Bank is essentially approached from the angle of Palestine «free from the sea to the Jordan», to quote Ataa Dabour, who also complains of the «limp nature of the demonstrations in Geneva»: let's bet that some of them, including the recent riot in Berne, which attracted a good number of French-speaking people, must have reassured her. On the question of a single state for all, which she has been promoting since Geneva, she points out that it is «up to the Palestinian people to decide their future». What about the people of Israel? No question asked, superfluous, no doubt, because «in the Palestinian project there is room for everyone», including, as the final position of the SP also claims, with the «right of return» of all Palestinian refugees and their descendants...
Under what conditions for the Jews? No one cares about that in these pages. Because it's not about religion at all, we're repeatedly told. Except as regards the «civil religion» created, according to Franco-Lebanese politician Ziad Majed, by the «memory of the Shoah». Another speaker, Houda Asal, a specialist in «anti-Palestinian racism», writes that the Israelis simply «invented Palestinian anti-Semitism». Since September 11, 2001, «worldwide Islamophobia» has been expressed in Israel on the basis of «supposed racial inferiority» - sorry, that goes back even further, since, according to her, «the Nakba has been going on for 77 years», to the point where she affirms «the right of the colonized people to resist their oppressors by any means necessary». By all means.
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In an interview with Alain Bittar from Geneva, the Intercommunity Coordination against Antisemitism and Defamation (CICAD) promotes a positive image of Israel (how awful...), even though this country, which «colonizes Palestinian land» (no further details) and whose creation was approved «by only 36 states», represents «a fundamentalist threat to peace».
Without denying the rise of religious fundamentalism in Israel also, I'm surprised to see absolutely no mention of Islamism in these 47 pages, barely a mention of the «attacks of October 7, 2023» (for city councillor Yasmine Berrada, these «attacks» have «certainly shaken up the international scene», nothing about the trauma for Israelis, Jews and the whole of humanity), two or three concessions to the aggression suffered by Israel on the part of Hamas, a mention of October 7 as the opportunity for Israel to «take advantage of the occasion» (Dominique Ziegler), hardly any mention of Hamas in these texts, and once to regret that so much is said about it! Your own text mentions it, and you're the only one to see «two peoples» linked in suffering.
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Without naming Hamas, the editorial board's introduction refers to «the indisputable horror of October 7» - indisputable, indeed, since it will be discussed so little in order to speak, indisputably this time, of genocide and not war, according to the title of this introduction: «Putting an end to genocide». Christina Kitsos, an administrative councillor, pleads for the children sacrificed, rightly denounces the quest for «total victory» and wonders «how to justify the detour of humanitarian aid», but without ever mentioning Hamas!
For Sami Kanaan, there's the «unspeakable tragedy of Gaza», he's right, but also unspeakable under his pen is Hamas and unspeakable the blockades of cities, high schools, train stations, and the intimidation of fellow Jews by our anti-Israeli militants (for example during the two feminist demonstrations excluding Jewish groups in Lausanne). In this text by the former mayor of Geneva, not necessarily validated by him, a drawing from the satirical magazine Vigousse shows CICAD as a soldier determined to bring down the «gang to Vigousse»and we think of the Islamist assassins decimating the Charlie Hebdo!
Doesn't this near-unanimous consensus in itself argue in favor of a slight rebalancing by CICAD in its refusal to publicly and unilaterally condemn Israel, as demanded by these activists? Its Secretary General's misfortune seems to be that he dares to use terms other than those of Alain Bittar, who is presented as a man of dialogue by the Geneva Socialist Party (PS), which writes that it wants «to make a strong voice heard on this conflict, without denying that there may be others».
The CICAD, with its «extreme influence» (D. Ziegler), is also singled out by Pascal Holenweg, who cites both the Warsaw ghetto and Oradour to sum up Israeli evil in his convoluted text, in which he trivializes «the abolition of a state», before hogging the writer David Grossman, whose powerful criticism never aims at the annulment of Israel! Another dubious parallel is Jorge Gajardo's reference to «the economic and financial relations between Switzerland and the Third Reich» - another Godwin point...
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Ayman Nasrallah's anguish for his family in Gaza is understandable. A man of dialogue himself, he nevertheless castigates any collaboration with Israel, which he sees as «a Western colony established in the place of the Palestinians in the interests of European countries». And yet, he wants two states, a difficult struggle that will have to be tackled by denouncing, with this fellow citizen, «Israel's annexationist inclination», but also with a wise and prudent Switzerland, still capable of dialogue with Israel.
The cautiousness of the Federal Council is castigated in this brochure, and the general population might also wish for more commitment, at a time when major countries are recognizing Palestine. Words matter, however, and I won't go back over the «accomplices of the genocidal state» and the «infectious, nauseating cowardice» of our leaders, among others. Nor on Joseph Daher's interview, in which the word «genocide» appears ten times! I'd just like to point out that while Fabian Molina's comparison between Gaza and the invasion of Ukraine may hold water (although we should also remember Hamas's invasion of Israeli territory on October 7), the comparison between Israel and Russia overlooks the fact that the latter country has absolutely nothing in common with a democracy like Israel, which is still capable of renewing itself.
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There are so many omissions in this brochure! For example, the rockets falling on Israel from Gaza and Lebanon in a collusion between Hamas and Hezbollah, and not just «the population of Gaza has been living under regular Israeli bombardment for 20 years». Or the «distinction between civilian objects and military targets», abolished only by Israel according to UN external expert Francesca Albanese, forever silent about the hostages who were kidnapped for ransom by Hamas, tortured underground and constantly threatened with a bullet in the head...
The worst thing, when you're still trying, as I am, to remain anchored to a center-left that is becoming less and less visible under the onslaught of one-sided propalestinism, is not to be able to highlight Israel's successes and benefits without being mocked, or even insulted, by people who take up half-truths and hatred of this country without batting an eyelid, without even having the excuse of finding themselves or their families under the bombs. The PS Genève presents this outrageous vision, as if on the other side we were simply giving a voice to the supporters of ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir and the idolaters of Bibi Netanyahu!
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Dear Ruth Dreifuss, as you know, the future is uncertain, anxious, threatened by dark forces on all sides. Let's not amplify their voices under the pretext of «truth» and «justice», but let's try to lift each other above the half-truths that have demonized others since 1947, if we want to respond to the aspirations of a people without denying Israel, and propel this region into a future of peace and cooperation. Switzerland may well have something to say about that. In the meantime, we must support an Egyptian-American plan to emerge from this horrible war and move forward.
With my respectful regards and the hope that you will help us to bring to the left voices that are less caricatured and more concerned with forging real links and real compromises.
Nadine Richon is a writer. A former journalist with L'Illustré, 24 heures and Le Temps, A sociologist by training, she lives and works in Lausanne.
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