A highly respected surgeon and academic, Professor Pietro Majno-Hurst was among the promoters, in early October, of the popular initiative calling on the Swiss Confederation to recognize the State of Palestine. We met him and gathered his testimony during his speech at the 12th edition of the Lugano Human Rights Film Festival.
What motivates a professional to become civically engaged in the ongoing humanitarian tragedy in Gaza?
I think back to how insignificant all the work I've done in my life weighs compared to the effort it will take to rebuild that society. Ignoring our responsibilities would be a great defeat, both as a human being and as the son of a Jewish refugee welcomed into Ticino during the last war. I would continue to live with the regret of not having done my part.
What is your assessment of the current humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip?
It has reached levels that are hard to imagine for those living in the West. The population suffers famine, deprivation, humiliation, and indescribable pain, all from avoidable causes. The roots of this tragedy lie in the decisions made by Western powers at the end of the Second World War.
Historically, Palestine was an area under Ottoman and then British control, inhabited by Jewish and Arab-Palestinian communities. Subsequent socio-political decisions led, in 1947, to the fragmentation of this territory and the birth of the State of Israel. However, this left the fate of the Palestinian people hanging in the balance, generating an unresolved issue that has now worsened, with a segment of Israel engaged in settler colonialism, an illegal practice. Added to this is the conflict between Israel and Hamas, considered a resistance movement in Arab-Muslim countries, but with the practices of a terrorist organization. Throughout all this, Majno observes, we Westerners have effectively left Israel unrestricted freedom of action and have avoided critical reflection on our responsibilities. Under international humanitarian law, all states should share political and moral duties that they often fail to assume today. Netanyahu, “observes Professor Pietro Majno-Hurst, ”I recall that he went to the USA with blatant disregard for the ruling of the International Criminal Court.»
How could or should Switzerland intervene to alleviate the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza? In your opinion, is the current political and diplomatic response sufficient?
I consider it largely inadequate and am critical of what I see as the moral and intellectual inconsistency of our government. Every administration should assure society that its institutions are committed—with all available means—to verifying and communicating transparently the true state of affairs and to enforcing international humanitarian law, tasks that the Head of our FDFA has failed to fulfill.
Let's turn to the popular initiative you co-sponsored in Bern for the recognition of the State of Palestine. What is the political and moral significance of this project?
My position should be interpreted within the framework of Swiss neutrality in managing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I believe that official recognition of Palestine would be beneficial not only to balance our position, but also to our country's image. Currently, the State of Palestine is recognized by 157 of the 193 member states of the United Nations, or nearly 80% of the international community. Recognition would make our dialogue between the parties involved more balanced and facilitate what I see as a duty of restorative justice towards the Palestinian people.
What is the role of NGOs in humanitarian crises like the one in Gaza?
Organizations like Médecins Sans Frontières, the Red Cross, and United Nations agencies continue to demonstrate great courage, dedication, and professionalism. However, it's not up to them to do everything while our governments aren't doing enough: today we live in a moral crisis of leadership: a sort of "sleep of reason" that relativizes not only the truth of the facts, but also responsibility and respect for the rule of law, especially humanitarian law. The task of our leaders should be to recover a minimum common ethical denominator on which to rebuild collective trust. This is the prerequisite for a future founded on shared values and a shared responsibility between progressive and conservative ideologies, categories that are, after all, partly outdated. Only on this basis is it possible to discuss the models of society we desire, models where differences of opinion are legitimate.
For the cover photo: credit Studiopagi.ch for FFDUL2025;
for the photo of Doctor Majno – pictured here with his wife, biomedicine Samia Hurst Majno – credit Michel Starobinski.
