Electronic Intifada director arrested in Switzerland for incitement

Ali Abunimah, executive director of the anti-Israel site Electronic Intifada, was arrested by Swiss police on Saturday in Zurich, where he was to participate in an event organized by the Palestine Committee Zurich. The arrest of the Palestinian-American occurred the day after his entry into the territory, following an initial interrogation by authorities. State councillor and head of the Department of Security, Mario Fehr, justified this decision to the newspaper NZZ: "We do not want an Islamist Jew-hater who calls for violence in Switzerland." The entry ban was issued by the Fedpol, the federal police office, following a request from Zurich authorities.

"Abunimah and his platform are a mouthpiece for Hamas," said Thomas Patzko, board member of the organization Never Again Is Now. "On social media, he shares content from the armed wing of Hamas, and he mourns its 'martyrs.'"

Electronic Intifada, which presents itself as "an independent online news publication focused on Palestine," is accused of spreading a radical discourse. Abunimah has notably stated that "Zionism is one of the worst forms of antisemitism in existence" and has denied the existence of evidence regarding the October 7 rapes.

His latest article, published on January 18, 2025, was titled "How the Gaza Resistance Defeated Israel." On January 6, he branded the rape allegations of October 7 as "propaganda" aimed at "justifying the ongoing genocide of the Palestinians."