INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Switzerland has invited 196 states who are parties to the Geneva Conventions to participate in a conference next week on the situation of
civilians living in the Israeli-occupied territories, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.Switzerland has invited 196 states who
are parties to the Geneva Conventions to participate in a conference next week on the situation of civilians living in the Israeli-occupied
territories, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.While a ceasefire is holding in Gaza after a 15-month conflict between Israel
and Gaza which has left the strip in ruins and more than 45,000 Palestinians dead, Israel has cleared tens of thousands from camps in the
West Bank in recent weeks raising fears of possible future annexation, Reuters reported.Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered troops to
prepare for "a prolonged stay", saying the camps had been cleared "for the coming year" and residents would not be allowed to
return."Following this invitation from the UNGA (UN General Assembly), I confirm that a conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth
Geneva Convention will be held in Geneva on March 7," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nicolas Bideau said in an email in response to Reuters
questions.The Fourth Geneva Convention, part of a series of international treaties agreed in 1949 after World War Two, defines humanitarian
protections for civilians living in areas of armed conflict or occupation.The UN General Assembly asked Switzerland to organize the meeting
last September when the Gaza war was still raging
