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JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has criticized Switzerland for hosting an international conference next week on how rules of war known as the Geneva Conventions apply in the Palestinian territories, charging the move raises doubts about the famous Swiss neutrality.
Israel's foreign ministry said the Dec. 17 summit is a political move with the "sole purpose" to assail Israel.
Swiss foreign ministry spokesman Pierre-Alain Eltschinger defended the summit. He said on Friday that the gathering will discuss "international humanitarian law, especially the Fourth Geneva Convention, in the occupied Palestinian territory."
Palestinians demand the West Bank and East Jerusalem, areas Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 war, as part of their future state. Israel says territorial withdrawals along with other core issues like security should be resolved in peace talks.
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