Pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupied the main hall of International Red Cross headquarters here Thursday, demanding that the humanitarian agency confirm their allegations of Israeli maltreatment of the Palestinians.
The group, calling itself Swiss Solidarity with the People of Palestine, claimed Israel was using the Persian Gulf war to destroy the economy of the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The protesters referred to the prolonged curfew in the territories and to the slow distribution of gas masks to Palestinians which, they said, excluded children under 15.
The group demanded that the International Committee of the Red Cross confirm their charges, publicize them and appeal to the Israeli government to abide by the Geneva Conventions.
Dave de la Praz, an ICRC delegate who met with the protesters, said the agency was aware of some of the conditions they mentioned but did not have sufficient information to issue a statement, the daily Le Courrier reported.
He suggested a further meeting Friday, to which the group agreed.
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