Response to interpellation 2024/25:530 on Sweden's commitments to the UN and the International Court of Justice
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
1 M stands behind the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion and argues that Israel's occupation and settlement policy violate international law 1 2. 1 M emphasizes that Sweden does not recognize the occupation or the annexation of East Jerusalem as legal 1. 2 M argues that dialogue is the best way to influence Israel 2. 2 M argues that the EU's differentiation policy creates a clear distinction in trade with goods from Israel and occupied territory 2. 3 4 M argues that Sweden contributes 800 million kronor in humanitarian aid to Gaza 3 4. 4 M argues that Hamas's responsibility and the attack on October 7 are important factors 4. 5 S considers that dialogue with Israel does not work 5. 6 S wants Sweden to push for the EU to pause the association agreement with Israel 6. 7 6 S demands more sanctions against Israeli decision-makers 7 6. 8 MP considers that war crimes have been committed 8.
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)
Madam Speaker! Johan Büser has asked me what concrete measures Sweden has taken since the ICJ's advisory opinion and the UN General Assembly's resolution ES-10/24 to ensure that Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories is not recognized as legal and does not receive support that enables its continuation, and in what way Sweden intends to contribute to ensuring that Israel ceases the illegal expansion of settlements and the annexation of Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, in accordance with the ICJ's opinion.
Johan Büser has also asked me how Sweden, in its report to the UN Secretary-General, has described its actions and its future plans to fulfill the obligations that the ICJ and the UN General Assembly have imposed on member states, as well as what initiatives Sweden plans to take within the EU and the UN to ensure that the international community acts forcefully to bring an end to Israel's illegal occupation and ensure compliance with international law.
Sweden stands fully and completely behind the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion. The opinion coincides in crucial parts with the EU's policy. The settlement policy violates international law, undermines the two-state solution, and contributes to an elevated level of conflict. The Government is clear that the violence of the settlers, the expansion of settlements, demolitions, and evictions must cease. This message is also conveyed directly to Israel. The Government is acting for further EU sanctions against extremist settlers.
Neither Sweden nor the EU has recognized the occupation or annexation of East Jerusalem as legal. The EU and its member states do not recognize any other changes to the 1967 borders than the changes that the parties have agreed upon.
The EU already has a comprehensive policy to differentiate between Israel and the occupied territories, both within its programs and activities as well as in trade with Israel. Sweden naturally supports the EU's policy and the measures taken, which the EU has collectively reported to the UN.
The EU's association council with Israel, which took place on 24 February, constituted an important opportunity for dialogue and messages regarding, among other things, for us important issues of principle, such as Israel's international law responsibility. I am convinced that dialogue in the long run is the best way to find understanding for each other's perspectives and to influence Israel in a positive direction.
Johan Büser (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister for Foreign Affairs, for the answer!
The ruling that the International Court of Justice gave on July 19, 2024, was incredibly clear. It is clear that Israel's occupation of Palestine is illegal, and it is clear that the states within the UN must take measures to counter Israel's occupation of Palestine.
It is against that background that I have submitted the interpellation and that I want to ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs here in the chamber what the Swedish government has done since then. I also think it is important that we continue to put pressure on the Swedish government because we are not satisfied with what has been done so far.
This was a clear advisory opinion that not only condemns the annexation of East Jerusalem and the expansion of the ongoing settlements but also establishes that the international community as a whole has an obligation not to recognize and support the illegal situation.
Madam Speaker! The Minister for Foreign Affairs says that Sweden stands behind the ICJ's opinion. I think that is obviously good. But at the same time, we hear that the government has chosen not to take any actions of its own beyond the EU's minimum common policy, so to speak. Sweden has therefore not taken any independent actions to distinguish itself from countries that are far more passive than we should be. The government says no, for example, to banning trade with goods from illegal settlements, even though the ICJ's ruling says that it is our duty not to contribute financially to the occupation.
At the same time, we see that this is difficult to reconcile. There are examples where the Government Offices have ordered wine from occupied territory, and a representative for the Tidö parties here in the Riksdag – the Christian Democrats' group leader – even shares that she has consumed wine from the occupied Golan Heights. This is inappropriate. What does it actually say about the government's true stance on the occupation, and what does it say to the Palestinians?
Madam Speaker! We Social Democrats are clear. We want to expand the sanctions against Israel, not just against some individual settlers but also against the military and political decision-makers in Israel who bear the real responsibility for the occupation being maintained and the abuses continuing.
Let us also be clear: What some of the settlers do when they attack Palestinian farmers, burn homes and forcibly displace entire villages is terrorism. Should these actors not be branded as terrorists in the same way as other groups that direct violence against civilians, for example Hamas?
The ICJ has done its part and been clear, and now it is our turn to do ours. My question to the Minister is therefore: Is the Swedish government prepared to support a ban on trade with settlement products, expand the sanctions against political and military decision-makers in Israel, and terror-label those actors among the settlers who systematically attack Palestinian civilians?
Jacob Risberg (MP)
Madam Speaker! Among the Palestinians, many believe that the occupation has lasted for over a hundred years. However, in terms of international law, we speak of an occupation since the six-day war in 1967. It is the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank – including East Jerusalem – that are considered occupied, and that is what we have to follow here in Sweden as well.
There are today 773,000 settlers in the West Bank. Israel has built a wall to separate Palestinians and Israelis, and the wall lies entirely on Palestinian territory – 85 percent lies inside the territory, and the remaining 15 percent lies on the green line. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of checkpoints inside the West Bank, and there are military areas where Palestinians are not allowed to be at all.
People live under different laws in the occupied territories. Palestinians live under military laws and even have a different age of criminal responsibility than the Israeli settlers who live in the same area. Thousands of Palestinians are arrested every year in the West Bank – many hundreds of them children – completely without suspicion of a crime. And that is only talking about the West Bank.
Israel says that one withdrew from Gaza two decades ago. But one controls the borders, one controls the water and one controls the airspace. One even controls Gaza's economy in that it is Israel that has collected tax money from the people of Gaza and paid it out. Furthermore, the International Court of Justice is clear that Gaza is still occupied.
It is pleasing that the Foreign Minister says that Sweden stands fully and completely behind the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion. But that is where it stops. The only movement we have seen since the war began one and a half years ago is that sanctions have been introduced against certain violent settlers. One is usually quite proud of that, but it is not the settlers who stand behind the policy being pursued. It is the settlement policy that must cease.
It is Israel's government that is responsible for what is happening in the occupied territory. It is not just violent settlers. It is Israel's government that accepts that new settlements are built, and it is Israel's government that accepts that new military barriers are erected for Palestinians. We have also not seen any form of sanction against the ministers who talk most about the occupation, namely Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, and who are now talking about the entire West Bank being annexed. Nothing has been said to them. Furthermore, they are standing there and distributing weapons to the settlers.
Sweden still contributes economically to these settlements by the fact that we have not even managed to ban the import of goods from settlers to Sweden. It is still legal. Sure, the goods do not fall under the association agreement and have no customs exemptions – but it is still legal to trade with them. This means that we contribute economically to a continued occupation. It contradicts the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion. It contradicts the UN resolution. But nothing is done there.
I do not understand. We are getting vague answers from the government, but we are getting no answer on what Sweden is actually doing to live up to the UN's resolution and the International Court of Justice's ruling. I would like to see some concrete action. One cannot constantly hide behind the EU on this issue. It is time for this government to step up.
Daniel Vencu Velasquez Castro (S)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Johan Büser for the opportunity to debate this important issue, which unfortunately never seems to come to an end. Countless days of full-scale war in Gaza have now passed, and tens of thousands of children have been killed.
Unfortunately, the ceasefire has ended, and we see that Israel is bombing Gaza daily. It is a humanitarian catastrophe. Israel has, point by point, failed to live up to the UN's requirements that humanitarian aid should be able to enter Gaza. I think, Madam Speaker, it is weak of Sweden's government not to condemn Israel much more harshly than it does. As Member Risberg said, one cannot hide behind the EU all the time, one must dare to take a stand and take on the leadership role in this issue.
I noted in the response from the Minister for Foreign Affairs that Sweden stands up for a two-state solution and that this government clearly stands behind such a solution. I have also had several debates with Tobias Billström about this. We do, however, as Member Büser mentioned, have parties in the government base that openly support settlers – representatives from these parties have traveled to settlements. It is to legitimize the settlement policy. We have members of the Swedish Riksdag who have traveled and had conferences with organizations that purchase land on the West Bank. This is land that they are not allowed to buy; it is illegal. Within the government base itself, there are parties that openly go against the condemnations of the UN, the EU, and the Swedish government. It is something that this government needs to act against.
One can, of course, say that one wants a two-state solution. I thought, however, Madam Speaker, that we should look a bit at Sweden's actions in relation to the Palestinian state and how one has worked for a two-state solution.
In May 2024, the Swedish government chose to refrain from granting Palestine extended representation and participation rights in the UN. In September 2024, Sweden chose to refrain in a vote demanding that Israel end its illegal occupation. In December 2024, the government decided to withdraw support for UNRWA, which is the largest aid organization in Gaza.
Tell me, Madam Speaker, does this sound like a government that is working actively for a ceasefire and an end to Israel's illegal occupation? I do not think so. It is obvious that we have a government that says all the right things and can hide behind international organizations, but point by point, they are acting completely wrong. I believe that the judgment of history will fall hard on this government.
I would therefore like to know, Madam Speaker, what the Foreign Minister took up with her counterparts when she was in Israel. It is clear that it is important to raise the demand for a ceasefire and an end to the settlement policy, but the question is what measures the government intends to take when this is not met by Israel. It has not done so until now, and it probably will not do so now either.
The Social Democrats have proposed that we should work to stop the trade agreement between Israel and the EU and that we should demand that more sanctions be directed at military and political decision-makers in order to exert pressure. Quiet diplomacy has unfortunately failed. Now, it is a matter of hard pressure against hard pressure.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! It is more important than ever to maintain a rules-based world order. Sweden supports the International Court of Justice, which is the UN's principal judicial organ. The Court's opinion from July 19 last year, which Sweden stands behind, is a detailed account of international law conditions regarding the occupied Palestinian territory. The International Court states in the opinion that Israel violates several central international law rules and principles and states, among other things, that Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territory is illegal. In other decisive parts, the advisory opinion also aligns with the EU's policy, for example regarding that illegal settlements violate international law.
There is nothing that justifies the Israeli settlement policy, which actively undermines the possibility of a negotiated two-state solution. The government has also clearly conveyed this to Israel in many different contexts. I did so most recently myself, on-site in Israel, two weeks ago to Israel's Foreign Minister.
The violence of the settlers must come to an end. The government is therefore driving the introduction of sanctions against extremist settlers, in addition to the nine individuals and five entities that have already been listed. This concerns persons and entities who are responsible for serious and systematic violations of Palestinians' human rights in the West Bank and who have therefore been listed within the framework of the EU's global HR sanction regime. This is, however, not a decision that the government can make individually, which I believe the members of the Riksdag understand, but EU consensus is required for this type of decision. We continue, however, to raise the issue within the EU.
I think Jacob Risberg described the settlement issue and the expansion we are now seeing in a good way. As I said, I was there two weeks ago and received a detailed account of how Israel is now acting very offensively. Not only is one expanding what we traditionally see as settlements, but one is also building roads in the West Bank that only Israelis are allowed to use, thereby effectively cutting off Palestinians' opportunities for, for example, economic livelihood. It is very serious. A relatively new phenomenon is shepherd posts, which have the same purpose, as do archaeological excavations and so on.
The EU's differentiation policy makes a clear distinction in the trade of goods from Israel and goods originating in occupied territory. According to EU rules, goods that require country-of-origin labeling and are manufactured in occupied territory may not be labeled as goods from Israel when they are imported into the EU. This means, for example, that these goods do not enjoy the same customs benefits as goods from Israel. The consumer also sees where the goods come from.
The government supports, as is well known – we have discussed this many times here in the chamber – not a boycott of Israel but assesses that cooperation and a direct dialogue, which I have now had with Israel's Foreign Minister, provides better opportunities to achieve results. Furthermore, the EU's differentiation policy, as stated, implies a clear distinction in trade with goods from Israel and goods with origin in occupied territory.
I must also say something regarding the fact that from several sides, it is criticized that someone in the government base has posted pictures of the person eating food from an occupied area. I do not think this can be compared with what one chooses not to mention, that is to say that in the Socialdemokraternas and Miljöpartiets own intended government base, there are people who share directly anti-Semitic images.
Johan Büser (S)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs for the answer.
I hear the Foreign Minister's words. I agree with some parts, but I must nevertheless say that, in summary, I do not see any real political will to go beyond the EU's minimum level.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs continues to speak about dialogue with Israel. I believe, however, that all of us who follow the war – all of us who see the occupation that continues with violent force and see the war that is ongoing and the crimes that are committed against the laws of war and international law – see that dialogue with Israel is not working.
Madam Speaker! Sweden – and the government – says that it does not recognize the occupation, but Sweden as a country imports wine from occupied territory. We find it at Systembolaget. We also find other occupied goods sold in various forms of the assortment. The government itself says that it does not want to push to break or pause the association agreement that the EU has with Israel, which gives Israel very favorable conditions.
Israel occupies Gaza, and Russia occupies Ukraine. But Sweden distinguishes between international law and actions depending on which country is occupying. It is regrettable.
While Sweden claims to stand up for international law, we are the only EU country that has chosen to freeze the support to UNRWA, despite the UN Secretary-General having urged us to continue with it and despite the EU's new foreign chief Kaja Kallas expressing strong support for UNRWA this week and saying that it is important to distance ourselves from the conspiracy theories and the disinformation surrounding UNRWA's work. That Sweden here chooses to go a different path than all other EU countries is very remarkable.
After Israel broke the ceasefire, the atrocities on the ground continue. Over 400 aid workers have been killed. 15 of them were buried in Gaza, and they had their hands tied. Furthermore, the ambulances were demolished and buried. We have seen UN buildings bombed, journalists murdered, and hospitals struck out. Added to this is the Rafah massacre where over 300 women and children were killed during a single night.
Then it is wrong when Sweden refers to dialogue with Israel as its primary tool, because at some point it must be enough.
I therefore ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs again: How can Sweden, in light of the ICJ's judgment, the UN's reports, and the documented terror committed against civilians, still refrain from proposing its own measures? Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs demand an independent investigation into the buried aid workers and ambulances?
Jacob Risberg (MP)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs for the answers and also Johan Büser for initiating this debate.
I believe we agree that war crimes have been committed in Gaza. It is quite obvious, especially in light of what Johan Büser mentioned regarding the 15 killed aid workers.
A short statement was posted on X by the Foreign Minister, which was then deleted, and I do not know why. In it, the Foreign Minister strongly condemned attacks against aid workers. But it did not say a single word about this being an obvious war crime. I have never heard the government use the word war crime when it comes to the conflict in Gaza.
Let us move to another military occupation where it is also evident that war crimes have been committed: Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine since February 2022. After less than a month, the EU introduced a ban on the import of goods from the occupied areas so as not to support Russia economically in this war. Less than a month!
The occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, and the Golan Heights has now continued for over 60 years.
I now ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and would like to have an answer today: Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs push for a similar ban, at least regarding goods from occupied territory? If not, why?
Forget the association agreement, because we will never agree on that. But we can at least agree that the same rules should apply to both of these occupations. Why can we allow the import of goods from occupied territory in one case but not in the other?
The Foreign Minister concluded the deleted statement on X with "Now enough is enough," and I agree with that.
Daniel Vencu Velasquez Castro (S)
Madam Speaker! I noted that the Minister for Foreign Affairs avoided answering the questions regarding the Social Democrats' proposal to target sanctions against political and military decision-makers in Israel. It is, as the members before me have said, obvious that war crimes have been committed in Gaza, most recently in the case of the aid workers who were executed by the Israeli military. This is not the first mistake the Israeli military has made, and it is not the first time we have received reports showing that obvious war crimes were committed. Despite this, the Minister for Foreign Affairs seems more interested in hiding behind the EU than in thinking about how Sweden can act to stop the war crimes committed in Gaza and how Sweden can act to strengthen international law.
When small states, such as Sweden, do not stand up for the rules-based world order, it is destroyed at its core. In order for international law, international humanitarian law, and the rules-based world order to be strengthened, it is required in all instances when these are threatened that small states unite and mark their position powerfully.
I have noted that on several occasions, people have spoken about Israel as the only democracy in the Middle East, and therefore this is very serious. The rules-based world order is questioned every time the democracy Israel commits a war crime and the rest of the world does not condemn it.
Madam Speaker! These are our demands, and we will continue to make them until the Foreign Minister takes real action.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! The demands for respect for international humanitarian law have been and continue to be one of the government's key messages. We present it in our contacts with Israel, and we do so together with other EU countries and like-minded ones. Sometimes it happens publicly and sometimes in other ways that we consider to be more effective.
I really must turn against what Daniel Vencu Velasquez Castro says about me hiding behind the EU. What do I mean, hiding behind the EU? The EU is our most important foreign policy platform, and I thought we and the Social Democrats agreed on that. It is clear that we have a much greater opportunity to influence if we do so through the EU than if we do so as a single small country, just as Daniel Vencu Velasquez Castro said we are. That is also why we push within the EU to get more listings of the illegal settlers.
We view with great concern the serious developments in the West Bank, including Israel's expanded military operations, which have resulted in thousands of people being forced to leave their homes, as well as the continued expansion of Israeli settlements and the demolition of Palestinian homes. I also raised this at the latest EU-Israel Association Council. During my trip to Israel and Palestine, I also expressed criticism regarding both the humanitarian access and the expansion of settlements in the West Bank.
It is central that Israel acts in accordance with international law and that deaths, including most recently the horrific 15, are investigated, and we welcome that Israel has said that it will also do so.
I still mean what I wrote about that enough is enough. It was a pure mistake that my statement on X was deleted, and I stand by every word I wrote.
Sweden and the EU have also consistently urged Israel to immediately transfer the Palestinian tax revenues that Israel is withholding. This was also a clear message from the EU at the Association Council.
The Government is convinced that a sustainable peace between Israel and Palestine must be built on a two-state solution. The Government supports the EU's and the UN's work to achieve a credible process for a negotiated two-state solution and stands in close contact with like-minded individuals and representatives for the region.
We are doing a great deal. This year, we have doubled the humanitarian support to Gaza and the region, which completely disappears in the debate. We also contribute a lot to Eupol Copps, which is an important part of building the Palestinian Authority strong, which is a prerequisite for achieving a two-state solution in the long run.
When it comes to the support for UNRWA, it is not correct that all other EU countries reason differently than Sweden. The Netherlands has announced that they will gradually reduce the support. This is genuinely difficult, and we in the UN have been very clear with our criticism of the Knesset's decision. But we are where we are, and we want to ensure that the 800 million we allocate to the Gaza region actually reach their destination.
I think it is absurd to criticize that we provide a lot of humanitarian support and that we do so through, for example, the World Food Programme, because it indirectly implies that it is not important. It is incredibly important. The aid must reach. We must truly care about these people and ensure that we can alleviate their very difficult situation.
Finally, one cannot directly equate Russia's war against Ukraine with the situation in Gaza. Israel's warfare in Gaza is a response to Hamas's despicable attack on October 7.
It is important that this is investigated by the International Court of Justice, but it is they and naturally also the ICC who are to do it. Only they will have all the facts in the case, and therefore it is they who are to determine which crimes have been committed, not politicians in Sweden's Riksdag.
Johan Büser (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister for Foreign Affairs, for the debate in connection with my interpellation!
I did not receive answers to my questions regarding the independent investigation and that Sweden should demand such an investigation regarding the ambulances and the aid workers who were brutally buried in Gaza. We also heard no words of condemnation of the war crimes that Israel has committed and continues to commit, and that they also broke the ceasefire that there was a plan for.
I have heard other positions put forward by the Foreign Minister, and several of them I think are good. But it is now required that Sweden as a nation raises the tone towards the EU and in the international community and furthermore pushes for a stronger policy against Israel's occupation. It was against this background that I submitted the interpellation.
Both I and colleagues Risberg and Vencu have pointed out that we feel doubt when so many individual Members of Parliament in the Foreign Minister's government basis visit settlements and post pictures as some kind of statement for goods from occupied land. We heard a representative from the Sverigedemokraterna this week who stood in the chamber and said that it is now time to export more weapons to Israel.
We Social Democrats are clear. We want Sweden to push for the EU to pause Israel's favorable association agreement with the EU. We want a ban on the sale of settler goods in Sweden. We want to see more sanctions against political and military representatives in Israel. We want to reinstate the support for UNRWA, because they are incredibly important. That is also what the EU's foreign chief says.
We must not hesitate regarding international law. We must support the Palestinian Authority, which is currently the only actor standing up for a two-state solution.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! Contrary to what is implied in the debate, I mean that Sweden is doing very much. We are pushing together with the EU to put a stop to the horrific battles, which claim many civilian casualties. We are pushing for further sanctions against illegal settlers. Sweden contributes a very large amount to humanitarian aid to Gaza and the region, specifically 800 million kronor. We are also those who have the most seconded to Eupol Copps, who are important for building up Palestinian authorities and thereby creating the conditions for a two-state solution.
In the opposition's contribution, I completely lack a reasoning regarding Hamas's responsibility in this. They build tunnels under civilian institutions in Gaza and thus contribute to using civilians as human shields. It is very serious. From the opposition's side, they have also not mentioned the triggering factor, that is, the abominable atrocities committed on October 7.
I was myself on site at the kibbutz Nir Oz and at the Nova Festival memorial site. Those are impressions that one never forgets. The attack was the triggering factor for the war. To compare it with Russia's completely unprovoked attack on Ukraine cannot be done.
I think once again that it is very brave of the Social Democrats to point at images that have been shared by our government base when they have people in their own government base who share anti-Semitic images.
With this, I would like to thank you for the debate on an important issue.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.