Response to interpellation 2024/25:210 on violations of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in the Palestine conflict
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
M argues that the situation in Gaza is extremely difficult and that the government is pushing for an immediate ceasefire and increased humanitarian aid 1. M argues that Sweden has increased aid by 560 million kronor and that the government supports Unicef 1 2. M argues that the government is doing a lot, is a major core donor, and is driving the work for sanctions against extremist settlers and Hamas 3. S argues that the Convention on the Rights of the Child is systematically violated, that a genocide is occurring, and that the government's foreign policy is too passive 4 5. S argues that the blockade has caused a collapse in healthcare and that the right to education is being violated 6. S wants Sweden to demand sanctions within the EU and follow the ICC's arrest warrants 6 7. V argues that Sweden must act forcefully through sanctions, freeze the association agreement with Israel, and condemn Israel's genocide 8. V argues that humanitarian aid is not enough and that Sweden must act in the UN for powerful sanctions 9.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Mr. Speaker! Azra Muranovic has asked me what analysis the government has made of what is stated regarding violations of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in connection with the Israel-Palestine conflict. Azra Muranovic has also asked me in what way this analysis affects Swedish foreign policy as well as my and the government's actions in international contexts to defend children's rights in the region.
There is no doubt that the situation in Gaza is extremely difficult. The reports of how children are suffering and dying are deeply distressing. The unimaginable consequences of the war for the civilian population must come to an end. The Government is clear that it is of the utmost importance that an immediate ceasefire in Gaza is accepted and implemented by the parties, in line with UN Security Council resolution 2735.
The Government is pushing, together with the rest of the EU, for Israel to do more to enable humanitarian aid to the civilian population. All warring parties, both states and non-state actors, have an obligation to follow international humanitarian law.
The government has consistently urged Israel to follow international law, including international humanitarian law. More must be done to protect civilians. The International Court of Justice has, in a legally binding decision on provisional measures, ordered Israel to improve humanitarian access. This is something Israel is obliged to follow. Sweden gives its full support to the International Court of Justice.
Since October 7 last year, Sweden has, due to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, increased the humanitarian aid there by 560 million kronor. Sweden is additionally one of the largest donors to several humanitarian actors operating on the ground in Gaza and on the West Bank. The Swedish support has, among other things, focused on counteracting children's vulnerability.
Azra Muranovic (S)
Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs for the answer.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Sweden has enacted into Swedish law, clearly establishes that all children have the right to life, health, education, and protection from violence and exploitation. Despite this, we see that children's rights are systematically violated in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Reports from the UN, Save the Children, Amnesty International, and a number of other organizations show that both Israel and the terrorist organization violate the Convention on the Rights of the Child in a way that affects children's lives and futures far beyond the current conflict.
Israel has carried out disproportionate bombings in densely populated areas, which according to Amnesty has led to the death of thousands of children. This violates Article 6 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that children have the right to life. Blockades and restrictions have destroyed children's access to healthcare, education, and safety, which violates Article 24 on health and Article 28 on education.
In addition to this, the ICC has issued an arrest warrant against, among others, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for crimes against humanity. Yesterday we could read Amnesty International's report, which is based, among other things, on documentation of testimonies and on satellite images and which points to a systematic and repeated attack against the civilian Palestinian population. Amnesty International points out that it is a genocide.
As I mentioned earlier, Sweden has made the Convention on the Rights of the Child into law. It is an obligation to follow international humanitarian law, and we as a country must also act in accordance with it – not only through aid but also through active diplomacy and active accountability.
Despite the government's concern regarding the seriousness of the situation and the increased aid to Gaza, Sweden's foreign policy is still far too passive when it comes to confronting these crimes. Regardless of whether one increases the aid, we know that what is coming in is nowhere near the amounts that are needed.
I have two questions for the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The first is: How does the government view Sweden's responsibility to protect children in Gaza, not only through humanitarian aid but also through political and legal pressure? What efforts is Sweden making? My second question is: In what way does the government plan to strengthen Sweden's actions to hold both Israel and Hamas accountable for crimes against the Convention on the Rights of the Child, against international law, against international humanitarian law, and against humanity?
Ola Möller (S)
Mr. Speaker! I thank Azra Muranovic for the interpellation and the Minister for the answer.
This is genocide, and it must stop now. So says Amnesty in a report on the situation in Gaza that arrived earlier this week. The organization has reviewed the situation in relation to existing conventions and specifically looked at the genocide convention. Just as many of us have done, the organization states that a genocide is taking place, which many of us have been concerned about for a long time.
The Minister has, as his representative, long been clear that it is dialogue and angry letters that are the way forward for this government to put a stop to the misery ongoing in Gaza. Therefore, I want to hear how the Minister thinks the dialogue is going. It must be considered successful, since the Minister and the government insist that the method—namely dialogue and letters—is sufficient.
Over 44,000 people have been actively killed in Gaza. According to a recently published UN report, 70 percent of them are women and children. How high would the death tolls have been if the dialogue had failed?
This summer, a report was released stating that the total number of deaths – that is, not only those who were actively killed but also those who died as a consequence of the war – could be up to 178,000 people. This corresponds to 7-8 percent of Gaza's population. How high the figure is today, of course, we do not know, but it is likely to be higher – we can probably conclude that. How high does the minister believe it would have been if the dialogue had failed?
The ICJ has demanded that the illegal settlements must cease. In July alone, 5,300 new settlements, or homes, were built on the West Bank. How many homes did the dialogue manage to stop? How many homes would have been built on the West Bank during this year if the dialogue had failed?
The ICC has issued arrest warrants for two Israeli ministers - Netanyahu is one of them. It is highly remarkable. That there is even a discussion in this chamber about whether Sweden would follow the court and extradite Netanyahu is distressing, to say the least. How many Israeli ministers would the ICC have required to be extradited if the dialogue had now been unsuccessful?
We have a commitment to do everything we can to stop genocide; that is what the ICJ has said. If what is happening now is the result of a successful dialogue, how would it, according to the Minister, have looked if the dialogue had been unsuccessful?
I am honest in this. I really want to know why the government believes that dialogue and angry letters are a successful method to stop things - and a massacre - in Gaza. I do not understand it.
Again: Can the Minister describe the successes in the successful dialogue with Israel regarding what Amnesty now says is a genocide in Gaza?
Lotta Johnsson Fornarve (V)
Mr. Speaker! I thank the interpellor for raising this very important issue. I also thank the Minister for the answer.
Gaza is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child in today. Just as the interpellator has said, Sweden is obligated to, in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, protect children from violence and stand up for children's right to health, education, and safety. In conflict areas such as Palestine, including Gaza and the West Bank, it is obviously extra important.
Unfortunately, we see today how serious war crimes against children's rights occur every day. Over 43,000 civilians have been killed in this war, of which an overwhelming majority are children and women. Thousands of children are deeply traumatized after having seen loved ones killed. They are constantly forced to flee and can never feel safe from Israel's bombs and rockets.
Yesterday, a report from Amnesty was released, which has concluded that genocide is being committed in Gaza. Recently, a report from Human Rights Watch was released where it is written that Israel is committing crimes against humanity. When will the government wake up and act seriously?
It is obviously important to protect innocent children who are suffering greatly. The war in Gaza has caused enormous suffering for children and their families. The food is almost gone. A large number of children have already starved to death, and even more risk starving to death if nothing happens. The hospitals are out of service. The schools are leveled. Now, a cold and wet winter is also approaching. Especially in northern Gaza, the situation has become increasingly inhumane. The attacks against civilians are increasing, and the families who are ordered to flee have nowhere to go. Life-saving deliveries of food, water, and medicine are being blocked. People are burned alive when tent camps are bombed. Parents are forced to bury their children in the street.
Thousands of children in Gaza are acutely malnourished and fighting for their lives. The lack of food leaves the children exhausted and underweight, and because their immune systems are weakened, they are also much more easily affected by diarrheal diseases, jaundice, and respiratory difficulties.
Children have a right to protection in war. To kill, harm, or kidnap children and to attack residential buildings, schools, and hospitals are serious violations of children's rights and are in conflict with humanitarian law. What is the government doing to contribute to protecting and supporting the children in Gaza and living up to the Convention on the Rights of the Child?
I mean that the most important thing to stop children's suffering is to achieve a ceasefire now. If Israel does not listen to the international community, which they obviously are not doing, the rest of the world must act more forcefully - for example with sanctions - to force Israel to listen. There must be an end to the killing of children in Gaza.
It is high time that Sweden acts in the EU to freeze the association agreement with Israel. Sweden's government must also condemn Israel's genocide in Gaza.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Mr. Speaker! One could almost get the impression that the Swedish Parliament constitutes some kind of international court. I hope that we are not moving in that direction.
Sweden supports the children and their rights in Gaza and in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Since October 7 last year, when Hamas carried out its horrific attack, Sweden has, due to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, increased the humanitarian aid there by over half a billion kronor. Sweden is also one of the largest donors to several humanitarian actors operating on the ground in Gaza and in the West Bank.
Swedish support has, among other things, focused on countering the vulnerability of women and children, including through the UN Children's Fund Unicef. Unicef works for children's right to have their basic needs and rights met. The government's total support to Unicef amounts to 830 million kronor in 2024.
The government has since October 2023 provided 50 million in special support to Unicef's work in Gaza. Unicef focuses its activities in Gaza and the West Bank on the needs of children and families. This includes combating malnutrition in children and providing access to clean water and healthcare. They also work for children's right to go to school, with psychosocial support for children and with cash support to families. Unicef has also contributed to the important work of vaccinating Gaza's children against polio.
In this context, I want to point out that Sweden and the EU are convinced that the only long-term sustainable solution to the conflict is a two-state solution where Israel and Palestine live side by side in peace and security. Therefore, last weekend I met with Israel's former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestine's former Foreign Minister Nasser Al Kidwa to discuss how we can get closer to such a solution.
I also want to mention that in early November, Sweden organized a global ministerial conference against violence against children together with Colombia, the World Health Organization, Unicef, and the UN Special Representative in charge of the issue of violence against children. The purpose of the conference was to raise the issue on the global agenda in order to collectively stop the violence against the world's children. All children have the right to a childhood free from violence.
Regarding the question of the ICC, I would, from my side, like to ask the Social Democrats if they are of the opinion that we should change the legislation in such a way that politicians, instead of judicial authorities, shall decide who should be arrested and detained in this country. That would be a revolution for the justice system. I would look forward to a clear statement on that question.
Azra Muranovic (S)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you for the answer, Minister for Foreign Affairs!
I think this is a very serious issue that one should not mock. It is very distasteful to claim that the Riksdag has become an international court just because there are members here who are repeating what everyone is actually warning about, including the International Court of Justice.
Sweden shall, of course, follow the arrest warrant that the international court has issued. I hope that Sweden's government also considers this and does not slip, because what is happening right now is that our own Prime Minister is starting to slip on the question of whether the ICC has made that assessment. I would not want to claim that it is the Riksdag that is playing international court, but rather the government's representatives and especially the Moderate Party.
Mr. Speaker! We know that the children in Gaza are not only suffering from the direct consequences of the war; they are also suffering from its long-term effects. Both the UN's and Save the Children's reports clearly describe how these crimes will affect their entire future. I want to illustrate to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Chamber that articles 6 and 19 regarding children's right to life and safety are being violated.
Thousands of children have been killed in bomb attacks, and even more live under constant threat of death. The mental ill-health among the children is alarming. They are totally traumatized. Defence for Children International - Palestine testifies to children screaming out loud and that it is extremely difficult to calm them down. These traumas affect them long-term into adulthood and pave the way for a future security policy danger. That the children who survive this and do not receive support, care, and legal redress will become social actors and decision-makers is very worrying. Their right to health and healthcare according to Article 24 is also violated.
The blockade has caused a collapse in the healthcare system. That children can only be vaccinated when and if Israel feels like it is totally unacceptable. The shortage of medicine and care means that children are dying from diseases and injuries that could have been treated. It is trivial and embarrassing. Nowhere on earth are children as severely affected as in the Gaza Strip. They are constant targets.
Most schools in Gaza have either been destroyed or are being used as refugee shelters. This makes education impossible for tens of thousands of children. The right to education according to Article 28 is also being violated.
Sweden must, within the framework of the EU, demand sanctions or other measures against actors who violate international law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child and who commit crimes against humanity. We have a duty to act to prevent a genocide. This is not an optional task.
The government must support an investigation of the ICC but also the issued arrest warrant, because this is about crimes against children that will have long-term effects.
It is welcome that we increase the aid. I will be very happy about that. But the aid does not come in, and political action is required. How does the government plan to increase the pressure on both parties to cease these crimes? After the Foreign Minister has had these meetings and spoken with the various representatives - how can we move closer to a ceasefire and a two-state solution? That is what I would like to know.
Ola Möller (S)
Mr. Speaker! It is well understood that in a situation where people wanted by the ICC arrive here, the government has to take a position on whether they should be extradited or not? It is not the Swedish Parliament that acts as a court, but the government has to make a decision. That is the running point.
The ICC has in this case issued warrants for two Israeli ministers and one Hamas leader. The government will be forced to make decisions. That is what the question is about - not that someone should stand here and turn the Swedish Parliament into some kind of court. The Foreign Minister knows that. The question, therefore, is how the government will act in such an occasion. Will they extradite those who are wanted by the ICC?
This interpellation is about children. There is an actor that the Foreign Minister does not mention at all, and that is UNRWA. The Knesset has prohibited UNRWA from acting in Gaza, and it will lead to hundreds of thousands of children dying. This is because there is no other actor. This has been clearly stipulated by, among others, Josep Borrell. There is no other actor with an infrastructure that can handle the crisis. Furthermore, the prohibition destroys very many of the possibilities for the Palestinian people to exist at all. That was, after all, why UNRWA was created once upon a time.
The Knesset says no to a two-state solution. This is done in dialogue with the government. The government obviously considers that dialogue to be successful and results in conclusions that they consider desirable. This means that the dialogue must have led to these results, otherwise the government would actually have acted with more than dialogue.
My question is, therefore, again whether the Foreign Minister means that the dialogue with Israel is successful when it comes to stopping what the International Court of Justice and the judiciary demand.
Lotta Johnsson Fornarve (V)
Mr. Speaker! It is of course good that Sweden sends aid to Palestine, but humanitarian support is not enough to end the war and save children's lives.
It also belongs to the matter that the government froze both development aid and aid to UNRWA at a time when it was needed most. It did not contribute positively to development – rather, the opposite.
The necessities are not reaching through. Children are dying in large numbers from war, disease, and starvation. It is obvious that the policy the government has pursued until now has not led to results. Then one must do more and act with more force. I mean that now, when reports are coming in, among other things, that genocide and crimes against human rights are being committed, it is high time that Sweden really acts in the UN for powerful sanctions and that one stops the association agreement to exert pressure against Israel.
It is possible to introduce sanctions against Russia when they commit war crimes. But when Israel commits war crimes, it is apparently not as easy. It is time to act now to end the war.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Mr. Speaker! There is no doubt that the situation for civilians in Gaza is catastrophic after the war broke out as a result of Hamas's despicable attacks on Israel. This applies in particular to the children.
The reports from among others Save the Children and Unicef on how children are suffering and dying are appalling. The war's unimaginable consequences for the civilian population must come to an end; that is something we completely agree on. It is therefore of the utmost importance to reach an immediate ceasefire in Gaza in line with UN Security Council resolution 2735, which the government has also been clear about.
The government also demands that all remaining hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally.
Despite the fact that the international community has agreed to meet the enormous humanitarian needs, the aid does not reach all the way through. The Government argues, together with the rest of the EU, that Israel must do more to enable humanitarian support to the population. In order for aid to reach, significant improvements in humanitarian access are required, not least more roads into Gaza and conditions for humanitarian personnel and transports to move safely in order to be able to reach all parts of Gaza. This is what I took up as recently as yesterday when I met with Israel's Foreign Minister.
Let me also emphasize that the government views with great concern that Israel's parliament has adopted legislative proposals regarding the UN aid organization UNRWA that aim to restrict the organization's activities. Together with both the Nordic countries and the EU, we have expressed ourselves very critically regarding this. It seems to have passed the opposition by. We therefore emphasize Israel's obligation to ensure that the aid reaches the civilian population.
Let me also emphasize the requirement to protect civilians and civil infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, in accordance with international humanitarian law.
I have now listened to a total of six contributions from the Social Democrats and the Left Party respectively, and I note that they have not mentioned the responsibility of the terrorist organization Hamas in any of the contributions. Hamas and other terrorist organizations in Gaza must not hide behind civilians and use civilians as human shields. They also have a very great responsibility.
Children are a particularly vulnerable group in a conflict. International conventions therefore contain rules that provide children with special protection. Children can never be held responsible for the actions of adults. Violations and abuses against children can have far-reaching and sometimes unforeseeable consequences for individuals and societies, often with consequences spanning several generations.
Therefore, the government is clear in our message that all warring parties, both state and non-state, have an obligation to follow international humanitarian law.
Azra Muranovic (S)
Madam Speaker! It makes me quite sad, if I am to be completely honest, that the Foreign Minister does not listen to the speeches we give. I have on a number of occasions mentioned Hamas as precisely a terrorist organization, their crimes against the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and that the accountability should apply to both parties.
Madam Speaker! Sweden has historically been a leader for human rights and the best interests of children. I think it is time to reclaim that role, especially in the Gaza conflict. We do not only need to react to the crisis, condemn certain things, write angry messages to the Israeli government or point out that we think it is bad conduct. We also need to act for real.
We have political instruments to use. I believe we should use them, regardless of whether it is our friends or those we do not consider our friends who violate international law and international humanitarian law and commit crimes against humanity.
I want to include some concrete proposals that the government can consider. One is to introduce a UN resolution in the UN Security Council that focuses on the protection of children in Gaza and strengthens the UN's mandate to monitor and report violations of children's rights specifically. It is something that Sweden can do.
Sweden can also provide support to the ICC and the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. Sweden can introduce regional cooperation through a Nordic initiative that does not just talk but also acts. We can expand the humanitarian psychosocial support and training and ensure that UNRWA does not just become something that one wants to see act, but that they actually get to act in accordance with the role they have.
Sweden can also work towards accountability for crimes against humanity by actually following the ICC's arrest warrants.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! The government is doing a great deal. I have highlighted a number of different parts in my previous speeches. This concerns, among other things, the humanitarian support to aid organizations on the ground in Gaza, not least Unicef, which is specifically focused on children.
We are also driving the work for sanctions against extremist settlers as well as against Hamas. We naturally support the integrity and independence of the international court as a party to the Rome Statute.
Sweden is one of the largest core donors to several of the major humanitarian actors in Gaza. Therefore, as Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs, I can meet with both Israeli and Palestinian representatives and have a respectful dialogue with both sides about the paths forward toward a two-state solution. That was not the case as recently as just a few years ago with the government at that time.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.