Response to interpellation 2024/25:737 on Sweden's responsibility for Swedish citizens in Gaza
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
1 M emphasizes that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has advised against travel to Gaza for over a decade due to the insecure security situation, which means that a great personal responsibility rests on those Swedes who choose to travel there 1 2 3. M argues that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs works to the extent that it is possible to assist Swedes who wish to leave the area, and that 630 people have received help so far 1 2. M considers the consular crisis preparedness to be good and that an overall review was not needed 4. M also emphasizes that the individual bears responsibility for their stay abroad 4 3. 3 M argues that the debate on Sweden's responsibility for Swedish citizens in Gaza is concluded 3.
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! Lorena Delgado Varas has asked how I and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs have ensured consular support for Swedish citizens in Gaza and what efforts are being made for remaining Swedish citizens. She has also asked what has been done to contact and assist relatives after deaths and what lessons I and the government have drawn from the fact that Swedish citizens have died in Gaza without it being followed by support and follow-up from Swedish authorities.
Furthermore, Delgado Varas has asked if I intend to propose a review of the crisis preparedness for evacuation in complex situations, as well as whether the authorities' routines for handling Swedish citizens in war zones should be reviewed, particularly regarding population registration and social benefits.
I want to begin by emphasizing that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has advised against all travel to Gaza for more than a decade. An advice against travel is a signal of a serious security situation where the situation can be very unpredictable. Furthermore, the advice is a signal that it can be very difficult, in some cases impossible, to provide consular support in the area. Therefore, a great personal responsibility rests on those Swedes who have chosen to travel to Gaza despite the advice.
The situation in Gaza is appalling. Since Hamas's terrorist attack in October 2023, Sweden has, through consular efforts, assisted over 630 Swedish citizens and persons with ties to Sweden in leaving Gaza. The consular support is provided in accordance with the Act (2003:491) on Consular Economic Assistance, which primarily covers Swedish citizens residing in Sweden as well as refugees and stateless persons with residence in Sweden.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs works, to the extent possible, to ensure consular support to Swedes who are entitled to this. It is the local authorities who make decisions on who is permitted to leave Gaza, when it can happen and in what way. This applies to all countries with citizens in Gaza. Sweden's possibilities to influence these decisions are very limited. There may be several different reasons why an individual cannot leave Gaza. Some of the Swedes who have been given the opportunity to leave Gaza have chosen not to travel out.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and relevant foreign authorities are following the developments. The security situation, however, entails significant limitations on what support the Ministry for Foreign Affairs can provide, and it is not certain that more consular interventions will be possible.
Deaths abroad are particularly sensitive matters that place high demands on correct and legally secure handling. In order to assist relatives of Swedish citizens or persons with ties to Sweden who have died in Gaza, documentation certifying the death is required. Due to the current situation, the necessary documentation is not always available, and without such documentation, it is unfortunately very difficult to take action.
Lorena Delgado Varas (V)
I was told earlier to say "Madam Speaker." I would also like to take this opportunity to remind Madam Speaker that personal attacks and offensive remarks must be corrected immediately. One must not make personal attacks in the speaker's chair. One may discuss politics, but one must not make personal attacks.
Thank you, Minister, for the answer! I must still say that what the government is presenting here is far from sufficient. What we see in Gaza right now is one of our time's greatest and most inhumane events. It is an ongoing genocide. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are being murdered. People are being deliberately starved. Among these are Swedish citizens.
In my interpellation, I have highlighted how Swedish citizens in Gaza, who are residing or are temporarily staying there, have been affected by extremely difficult conditions. They have lost family members. They have been denied medical care. They have not been evacuated to safety. Several have been murdered.
Let us be clear: UD's advice against travel to Gaza is a signal about the risks, but it is not a revocation of citizenship. A Swedish passport is also valid in Gaza. The Consular Assistance Act is clear. UD has an obligation to assist Swedish citizens in distress. That obligation applies regardless of whether one is registered as a resident in Sweden or not. To refer to the advice in order to evade responsibility is to mix up the cards.
Many of the Swedes who are now trapped in Gaza are not tourists who have chosen to travel into a genocide. They are Swedes with ties to Palestine. They have children, parents, or siblings there. Everyone who has relatives abroad knows that there are reasons to go. They are many.
One example is Abdulaziz Almaani. He is a Swedish citizen, a drilling technician, and a father of three small children. He was murdered in Gaza when he traveled there to try to evacuate his family during the so-called ceasefire. He was registered as a resident in Sweden but was deregistered by Skatteverket in the middle of the genocide because he and his family were considered to have stayed abroad for too long. No consideration was given to the fact that they could not leave the area. The family was even forced to repay child allowance from 2023, even though they were supposedly trapped.
He was murdered by the Israeli state, just like so many other Palestinians during the genocide. But what happened after his death? Then, relatives in Sweden received no contact from the state. It was only after they themselves called the UD that they had a short conversation with a case officer without receiving any actual help.
This is not worthy of a constitutional state. It is not worthy of Sweden. Unfortunately, it is not unique. Several Swedish families in Gaza testify to the same experiences. One has difficulties getting in contact with Swedish authorities. One receives no notifications about evacuations. One loses social benefits and apartments and is met with total silence when a relative has been killed.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! The war in Gaza is a humanitarian catastrophe. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is following the developments very closely, and that includes monitoring any future opportunities for foreign citizens to also leave the area. UD now estimates that a small number of Swedish citizens may still be in Gaza.
In this context, I want to highlight that concrete efforts are being made to make it possible for Swedes located in Gaza to be able to leave the area. UD is working to assist, to the extent possible, Swedes who have expressed a wish to leave Gaza and who are still there. Most recently, on August 6 of this year, an operation was carried out where six Swedes were able to leave Gaza.
As I mentioned in my response to the interpellation, Sweden has so far assisted 630 Swedish citizens and persons with ties to Sweden in leaving the area. UD is also in contact with several like-minded countries, not least the Nordic countries, when it concerns issues regarding assisted departures. Our foreign authorities are also in contact with local authorities and organizations.
As I mentioned earlier, some of the Swedes who have been given the opportunity to leave Gaza have chosen not to travel out. It has also actually occurred that individuals who have received consular assistance to leave Gaza have contacted us again when they are in Gaza again and once again want help to leave the area.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is working to assist, to the extent possible, those Swedes who have expressed a wish to leave Gaza. But I want to conclude by again emphasizing the importance of the individual's own responsibility when traveling abroad. UD has advised against all travel to Gaza for over a decade due to the insecure and unstable security situation prevailing and the very limited possibilities for Swedish authorities to act consularly in Gaza.
As the interpellor is well aware, I cannot comment on individual cases.
Lorena Delgado Varas (V)
Thank you! The Minister emphasizes that 630 people with Swedish citizenship have been evacuated, of which 6 were this month. It is very good that people have been able to leave Gaza. But we actually have to talk about those who remain, because they are not few. Several hundred have been forced to wait for months without any information. During that time, people have been murdered. Children go without food and medicine. People are starving. Those who have lost their relatives have not even received a phone call from the state.
When we compare with other EU countries, it becomes even more painful. Other countries have succeeded in acting faster, more systematically and offensively. They have used their voice in the EU and the UN to push for humanitarian corridors. Sweden has chosen a more cautious line, and the result is that Swedish families in Gaza have remained longer and suffered more. Why should Swedish citizens be treated worse than, for example, German or French ones?
The Minister also says that some have chosen not to leave Gaza when the opportunity has existed. Let me be clear: it has often been about not being allowed to take their minor children with them. Then it is not a choice. It is a self-evident fact that one stays. There is no parent in the world, I hope, who leaves their children behind during a genocide. It is shameful to even demand it. How can one demand that Swedish citizens should leave their minor children behind in a genocide?
The Minister completely avoided my question about population registration and social benefits. Abdulaziz Almaani and his family are one example, but there are many more. Swedish children in Gaza have lost their homes and their security, not only there but also here when they come home. To de-register people from the population registration in the middle of an ongoing genocide, to demand back child benefits, and to take away their apartments because they have not been able to leave the area is unjust and heartless.
Finally, I want to raise the question of lessons learned. We must learn. We saw the catastrophe in Thailand after the tsunami. Now we see how Swedes are abandoned in a genocide area. What lessons does the government draw from the fact that Swedish citizens are being murdered without the state offering support, follow-up, or contact? We want to know what lessons have been drawn, what new routines have been introduced, and what plans exist. These questions are met only with silence.
This is worrying for every one of the Swedish citizens who travel outside the European borders. One does not know what support one would receive if one were to happen to end up in an area where a genocide is taking place.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! I want to emphasize once again that the UD has a strong and well-developed preparedness for consular crisis situations. This has been progressively developed and strengthened since the tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia in 2004 and has also demonstrated its capacity during several extensive crises in recent years. Furthermore, the UD handles daily many difficult and complex individual cases where Swedes abroad are in distress, deprived of liberty, or deceased.
I have great understanding for the horrific situation that the population in Gaza finds themselves in, as well as for the anxiety that many relatives here in Sweden feel. Matters that arise in a conflict like this are both heartbreaking and very difficult. But nevertheless, they demand the same requirements for legal certainty as other matters. Against this background, the government assesses that there is no need for an overall review of the consular crisis preparedness and processing. Such a review was conducted by the Swedish National Audit Office in 2016, and UD's consular crisis preparedness was found to be good.
However, as I have previously mentioned, a need has been identified to review the consular regulatory framework, that is, the legal frameworks for what support can be given to Swedes abroad and also under what conditions.
Earlier this year, an inquiry was appointed with the task of analyzing the regulation of consular activities and proposing how it can be made more purposeful. The starting point is the principle of the individual's responsibility for their stay abroad. The inquiry shall also consider the significance of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs' travel advice and the individual's connection to Sweden.
I have not avoided any question, but I have stated that I cannot comment on individual cases. If I am to answer more generally on the questions raised by the interpellor, I can state that a citizen does not have the same rights as a person who is not a citizen in Sweden. If one does not reside in the country, one should, as a general rule, also no longer be registered in the population register after a certain period. If one has a residence permit because one has stated that one has a need for protection, one should be very careful about traveling back to the country in question, as it can have consequences.
Lorena Delgado Varas (V)
Thank you very much! So there are no lessons to be drawn from this situation. One cannot expect that Swedish citizens will receive proper support if they end up in such situations, which could actually happen anywhere, even if there is a recommendation against traveling to a certain area.
We have a government that would like to describe itself as proactive, but in reality, Swedish citizens in Gaza have been let down by this government. They have not received support, and what could have been done to get them out has not been done.
I also wonder about something else, and I would like the Minister to answer this question. We know that you have good relations with Israel. You have good relations with its ambassador. I would like to know how many times the Minister has brought up the Swedes in Gaza when having coffee with the ambassador or when taking press photos with Israeli ministers.
We have, in fact, had this situation for almost two years. We have seen Swedish citizens murdered in Gaza. We have seen children starve. We have seen children lose all their safety. When they return, they do not come to the safety that one would hope a child who has experienced genocide should come to. Instead, they come to a situation where they do not even have an apartment to come to. It is a disgrace.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! I believe that in my previous remarks I have accounted for quite extensively for how the UD works consularly regarding persons who are stuck in Gaza. I note that there is a fairly large difference between me and Lorena Delgado Varas in the view on the individual's own responsibility. I note that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs does what we can to assist Swedish citizens and others with connections to Sweden, but that it is very difficult and that a very large individual responsibility rests on someone who chooses to still travel to a certain area in defiance of the current advice. This is something I try to emphasize, because it can lead to an appalling amount of suffering. There is a reason why we have such a clear advice.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.