Response to interpellation 2024/25:646 on the situation for the children in Gaza
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerns the situation for the children in Gaza. 1 M argues that the humanitarian situation is devastating and that the government has allocated 800 million kronor for humanitarian aid, has a restrictive view on arms exports, and supports the International Criminal Court 1. 2 M condemns Netanyahu's statements regarding control over Gaza and illegal settlements in the West Bank 2. 2 3 M believes that Hamas bears a heavy responsibility for the suffering 2 3. 4 M argues that the conflict requires an end to the hostilities and a two-state solution 4. 4 M denies that the government is passive 4. 5 6 (-) argues that the government is passive and that what is happening is a genocide 5 6. 5 6 (-) believes that Sweden should push for the prosecution of Netanyahu and introduce an arms embargo 5 6. 6 7 (-) argues that Israel is an apartheid state and that the government is failing international law 6 7. 7 (-) claims that they have already condemned Hamas 7.
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! Jamal El-Haj has asked me and the government if we intend to clearly condemn the killing of children and civilians in Gaza, if we within the UN and EU will work to ensure that Israel's prime ministers and former defense ministers are prosecuted, if we intend to stop all exports of weapons and war materiel to Israel and actors who violate international law, and if we intend to take measures to permanently stop the war and strengthen humanitarian support to the civilian population in Gaza.
What is unfolding before our eyes is the worst humanitarian situation since the start of the war in October 2023. Various UN bodies testify that food stocks in Gaza are exhausted and that there is a shortage of medicine and water. The civilian suffering is devastating. The war's unimaginable consequences for the civilian population must come to an end, and a ceasefire must be achieved.
Sweden has repeatedly, in its talks with Israel's government, demanded that humanitarian access be ensured. We view very seriously that our and others' appeals are not being heeded.
Israel must ensure safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian actors in accordance with the obligations that Israel has under international humanitarian law. It is crucial that food, water, and medicines reach the severely affected civilian population, of which many are women and children, who are currently living under inhumane conditions. Life-saving humanitarian aid must never be politicized or militarized.
All warring parties, both states and non-state actors, have an obligation to follow international humanitarian law. This includes Hamas. The government is also continuing to be clear that all remaining hostages must be released – immediately and unconditionally.
The government has clearly shown its strong commitment to continued humanitarian support for the hard-hit civilian population in Gaza. In December, the government decided to significantly strengthen its preparedness for further humanitarian support by allocating 800 million kronor to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the region. 300 million kronor have already been distributed to the response in Gaza. Sweden is also one of the largest donors of flexible core funding to several of the key actors on the ground, including Unicef, which provides support and protection to children and families in Gaza. Most recently in December, the government contributed 40 million kronor to winter supplies for children in Gaza, which included, among other things, winter clothes and shoes for nearly 50,000 children.
The International Criminal Court is investigating actions from both the Israeli and Hamas sides within the framework of the ongoing investigation of the situation in Palestine. Sweden and other parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court have an obligation under international law to cooperate with the court. A correct application of international humanitarian law is a central part of the protection of civilians, and the government has consistently emphasized the importance of international humanitarian law being followed. Sweden supports the International Criminal Court's important work and safeguards its independence and integrity.
Sweden has a restrictive view on the export of war materiel to Israel. In practice, no permits have been granted since the 1950s, with the exception of follow-on deliveries of such materiel that were not considered war materiel in the original transaction. It is the Inspectorate for Strategic Products, ISP, which is the competent supervisory and licensing authority for war materiel exports and makes a holistic assessment in each individual case as long as there are no unconditional obstacles.
Jamal El-Haj (-)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you for the answer, Minister for Foreign Affairs, but despite some small progress, I am not impressed.
Since the beginning of the war, over 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza. Twice as many have been injured, and hundreds of thousands are traumatized. These are not just numbers – they are shattered families, children without parents, an entire generation destroyed before our eyes.
The government says it upholds international humanitarian law, but the response is full of evasions and passivity. What we see in Gaza is not just war, but it is a siege, genocide, and systematic attacks against hospitals, schools, and civil infrastructure. The UN describes how starvation is used as a weapon. Still, the government refuses to use the word that is required: condemn.
It is not enough to refer to talks with Israel or calls for humanitarian access. Political and moral courage is also needed. If Sweden is serious about standing up for international law, we must dare to say that what is happening in Gaza is a crime against humanity and that accountability must be demanded.
The government points to the International Criminal Court, ICC, and says that it is investigating. But it is not enough to hide behind the court's process. The question is: What is Sweden doing? I demand a clear political position that Sweden, within the EU and the UN, pushes for Netanyahu's war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza to be prosecuted legally. There, the answer is silent.
Regarding arms exports, the government speaks of restrictiveness but still refuses to introduce a clear ban. New permits have not been granted for a long time, they say, but without an actual export ban, the door is left open.
The imbalance in the government's rhetoric is also striking. Hamas is mentioned time and again, which is reasonable, but Israel's war crimes with advanced weaponry are hardly mentioned. It is easy to speak about the hostages but harder to mention that over 55,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of them civilians. In Israeli prisons, thousands of Palestinians are held, many of them without charge or judgment. Their daily lives are characterized by arbitrary detentions, harassment, starvation, and sexual abuse. Yet, their fates are rarely spoken of.
That Sweden contributes humanitarian aid is important and commendable. But money does not save lives when the aid is blocked. One cannot replace political responsibility with charity while simultaneously refusing to use one's political influence to put pressure on Israel. Not doing more, not demanding prosecution, not imposing an arms embargo, not restoring aid to UNRWA is not neutrality. It is passivity, and that passivity means that Sweden fails both the Palestinian people and the international rule of law that we say we defend.
If the government is serious and wants to protect international law from being eroded into empty phrases, it is time to act. Failing to do so is not just a political failure – it is a moral failure.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Mr. Speaker! The stories we hear from Gaza are absolutely horrific. They are about children on the brink of starvation, children who are repeatedly forced to flee their homes, children who have lost parents, siblings, other family members, and schoolmates. The images testifying to the almost unimaginable devastation that people are living in are very difficult to see.
Within the EU, Sweden has pressured the Israeli government to allow humanitarian aid in. The aid that has been allowed in since May 20 is far too little. Much, much more is needed, as the needs are enormous. In order to increase the pressure on the Israeli government, the Swedish government supports the proposal for a review of Israel's compliance with Article 2 on human rights in the association agreement with the EU.
The Government will, together with the EU, continue to urge Israel to act immediately to alleviate human suffering and emphasize that Israel must do more to live up to the protection of the international humanitarian law for the civilian population.
The government also condemns the latest statement by Prime Minister Netanyahu that Israel shall take control over the entirety of Gaza. If this implies annexation, it violates international law. Sweden stands firm that the territory of Gaza must not be altered or reduced. It is central that Israel ensures that international law, including international humanitarian law and human rights, is followed and that accountability is ensured.
The government also condemns the illegal settlements on the West Bank and has pushed within the EU for sanctions to be directed against extremist settlers. Sweden is now also pushing for sanctions to be directed against ministers in the government who are also pushing for such a development because it very actively counteracts a two-state solution.
Sweden's government is, therefore, very, very clear. But we must also be clear that an enormous, heavy responsibility rests on Hamas, and that was nothing I heard in Jamal El-Haj's post. My question is therefore: Can Jamal El-Haj be clear and condemn Hamas and their heinous attacks on October 7, 2023?
Jamal El-Haj (-)
Mr. Speaker! There are moments in history when passivity becomes a position. What is happening in Gaza is such a moment.
Over 55,000 lives have been extinguished, a large part of them children. Hospitals are being bombed into ruins, entire residential areas are being leveled, and a population is being driven into starvation, disease, and despair. This is not just a humanitarian catastrophe. It is an ongoing genocide – a systematic destruction of a people in full view of the world.
When the world hesitates, we must speak. When leaders fail, we must stand up for justice and for humanity. Many, including myself, find it difficult to understand the Swedish government's passivity in the face of Israel's actions toward the Palestinian people. Despite decades of resolutions, reports, and pleas from the UN, Israel continues to disregard international law.
Israel has never followed UN Resolution 181, which proposed a two-state solution with a fair division of historical Palestine. Nor has Israel respected the Oslo Accords, where the Palestinians agreed to limit their territorial claims to 22 percent. Resolution 194, which gives Palestinian refugees the right to return to their homes, has been ignored for decades.
The UN has acted time and again, resolutions have been adopted, reports have been submitted and calls have been made. But Israel does not listen. The abuses continue.
The world community's most important institutions have sounded the alarm. The UN's international court, the ICJ, has established that there are reasonable grounds to believe that a genocide is ongoing in Gaza and has urged Israel to take immediate measures to prevent it.
Amnesty International describes Israel as an apartheid state and documents abuses that constitute crimes against humanity. Human Rights Watch has confirmed that Israel systematically violates international law with actions that meet the criteria for both genocide and apartheid. B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization, calls the State of Israel exactly what it is: an apartheid regime.
But instead of taking to heart the heavy and well-founded criticism, the Foreign Minister responds with words that lack action. Why? It is so obvious, so clear, what is happening.
International institutions, doctors, academics, human rights activists in many countries and even Jews who criticize the abuses are branded as antisemites or self-hating Jews by Israel. And the government parties applaud.
This type of rhetoric is not only dangerous. It risks seriously undermining the fight against real antisemitism, racism, and Islamophobia. To stand up for the rights of Palestinians is not to be antisemitic; it is to be human.
It is high time that the government and the Foreign Minister stop letting themselves be influenced by the Israeli propaganda. It echoes hollowly in light of the documented abuses. Sweden must, with strength and clarity, take a stand for international law, for human rights, and for a people who are currently crying out for help. To remain silent now is to betray.
I repeat my question: When will the Foreign Minister clearly and without reservation condemn the killing of children and civilians in Gaza? It is not about condemning Netanyahu's statement or the actions of settlers, but about condemning the entire situation.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Mr. Speaker! In my previous contribution, I accounted for all the measures that the government is taking and has taken to alleviate the terrible suffering we see in Gaza but also in the region. I have also accounted for the government's way of pressing both via the EU and individually to achieve a change. I have also been clear that we have condemned the latest statements from Netanyahu regarding the intention to take control over all of Gaza.
However, I heard no answer at all to my question, Mr. Speaker. Can Jamal El-Haj be clear that he condemns Hamas, which bears such an enormous heavy responsibility for the terrible suffering we see, and the terror attacks in October 2023?
Jamal El-Haj (-)
Mr. Speaker! The Foreign Minister does not seem to have seen when I stood in SVT and condemned Hamas. At that time, the Foreign Minister was not Foreign Minister but Development Minister. I wrote debate article after debate article and took a stand, and I even took a stand when the demonstrators were happy in Malmö. The Foreign Minister does not seem to have read it. I mentioned Hamas in my first speech and said that it is okay for the Foreign Minister to refer to Hamas in that way – that it is acceptable – but the Foreign Minister does not seem to have listened to what I said.
For 77 years, the Palestinians have been subjected to discrimination, violence, and displacement. It is a structural oppression that the world has long chosen to ignore. At the same time, Israel has repeatedly avoided consequences, despite actions that, according to the world community's most important institutions, meet the criteria for apartheid, genocide, and ethnic cleansing.
It seems as if the government's parties either do not understand or do not want to understand what a state marked by apartheid and militarism is capable of doing when it is allowed to act without resistance. By consistently denying the reality on the ground, they have also lost credibility in the struggle for human rights globally.
It is time for a foreign policy that rests on principles rather than political loyalties. Justice and peace cannot be achieved if one refuses to name and condemn oppression and genocide, regardless of who commits it. To continue to turn a blind eye to one party's abuses while systematically blaming the other is not only irresponsible; it is a betrayal of all international law and moral honor.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Mr. Speaker! The war in Gaza truly reminds us that the conflict between Israel and Palestine, which goes back many, many years, cannot be solved with violence. What is needed instead is an end to the hostilities and a resumed peace process that leads us toward a negotiated two-state solution where Israel and Palestine can live side by side in peace and security.
It may feel far away now, but together with our friends in the EU, we must really continue to push for a change. We also have many constructive forces in the region that truly want to contribute to a peaceful solution, and that is something the government encourages. The high-level meeting on the two-state solution, to be held in June in New York under the leadership of France and Saudi Arabia, will hopefully also be an opportunity to take important steps forward.
There is talk about the government's passivity, but that description does not correspond with reality at all. I believe this is rather mentioned because it fits into one's own perception of reality, which, therefore, does not correspond with reality at all.
The government has doubled the humanitarian support to Gaza and the region this year. We are, of course, extremely frustrated to see that the aid is not getting in, and we will continue to raise our voices until it does.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.