Swiss participants in last autumn’s Gaza flotilla have now received an unwelcome follow-up to their detention by Israeli authorities: a bill. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) has written to the activists seeking reimbursement for consular protection and emergency assistance provided after their arrest in October, when they attempted to breach Israel’s maritime blockade, reported RTS.
The charges range from CHF 300 to CHF 1,047 per person. In total, 19 participants from the “Waves of Freedom” mission and one from “Thousand Madleens to Gaza” are affected. According to the FDFA, the differing sums reflect the level of consular support required in each case, including interventions with Israeli authorities, prison visits and assistance with repatriation.
Not all recipients accept that explanation. Sébastien Dubugnon, who was expelled to Turkey and flown home at Ankara’s expense, says he received a CHF 300 invoice despite what he describes as minimal Swiss assistance. The only consular support he recalls, he says, was a prison visit lasting barely ten minutes. “The representative was asked to leave almost immediately and told us there was nothing he could do,” he said.
Mr Dubugnon adds that he had no contact with Swiss consular services on his return to Geneva or afterwards. For some of the activists, the bill compounds a sense not just of financial grievance, but of abandonment by their own authorities.
Charging for consular services is allowed under Swiss law. Swiss consular assistance is free for basic services. But if the state incurs exceptional costs, the citizen may be required to reimburse them. This is especially true if the person knowingly took a high-risk action, ignored official travel warnings or entered a conflict zone voluntarily. Switzerland typically takes an administrative, cost-recovery approach to such cost, reflecting its culture of personal responsibility.
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