Response to interpellation 2025/26:14 on the protection of boat convoys and their crews on their way to Gaza
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 Ministry for Foreign Affairs closely monitored the convoy and that Sweden could not provide consular assistance at sea 1. M emphasizes that Israel has the right to control ships on international waters and is responsible for security 1 2. M claims that the government urged the participants to follow Israeli instructions 1 3 2 and that Sweden has increased humanitarian aid to Gaza 1 3 2. M denies that Swedish citizens were mistreated 3 2. M argues that Sweden has an obligation to prevent genocide 2. M emphasizes that the staff provided extensive consular support under difficult conditions 4.
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! Daniel Riazat has asked me questions regarding the Global Sumud Flotilla, the boat convoy that was in the Mediterranean heading towards Gaza a few weeks ago.
He has asked whether the government intended to ensure protection for the convoy as well as guarantee support for all the Swedish citizens who were on board the boats. Furthermore, Riazat has asked me if the government will condemn the attacks that were reported to have been directed against the boats during their journey towards Gaza.
I would like to begin by emphasizing that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and relevant foreign authorities closely followed the developments surrounding the Global Sumud Flotilla convoy and the participation of Swedish citizens from the moment the first boats left the coast of Spain until the participants were deported from Israel. The work regarding the flotilla and the follow-up on the participation of Swedish citizens has also continued thereafter.
The laws of war give Israel a certain scope to stop and control ships on international waters as well as to bring the ships and their crew to a safe port. If Israel uses this scope, the country also has a responsibility for the safety of the persons who are under its control.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the embassy in Tel Aviv had recurring contact with Israeli authorities regarding the flotilla long before the voyage was stopped off the coast of Gaza. During the flotilla's voyage towards Gaza, our embassies in Madrid, Rome, Tunis, Nicosia, and Athens also worked closely with the issue.
Throughout the entire process, continuous contact and coordination were also maintained with other countries whose citizens participated, as well as with Nordic and European colleagues at the capital level.
Sweden's starting point – and the expectation we have repeatedly conveyed both to Israel and to the Swedish participants – was that the cruise would be carried out using peaceful methods and without elements of violence from any party.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has for more than ten years advised against all travel to Gaza and urged Swedes to follow this travel advice. An advice against travel is a clear signal that the security situation is serious and that individuals should carefully consider their decision to travel.
In view of the uncertain and risky situation, the government urged Swedish citizens to turn back and obey Israel's requests to offload aid shipments at another port in the region. Against the background of the significant risks the journey entailed, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs clarified that Sweden had no possibilities to provide consular or other assistance at sea.
When the participants chose not to follow these instructions and it was clear that the ships were to be stopped, we particularly emphasized in our contacts with Israel the importance that the safety and consular rights of Swedish citizens should be respected. We received confirmation that these commitments would be met.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs sent reinforcements from Stockholm to support the embassy in Tel Aviv ahead of the expected consular operation. Swedish citizens were provided with extensive consular support during the time they were in Israel.
Daniel Riazat (-)
Mr. Speaker! I usually thank for the answer to interpellations, but that also applies when one actually receives an answer. In this case, I have not received it and therefore have nothing to thank for.
To begin with, I would like to direct criticism towards the Foreign Minister that is not about the interpellation question, but about the fact that I have had to wait for nearly two months to receive a non-answer to my interpellation. When I submitted my interpellation on September 18, I was told as an answer that the minister would not have time until at least seven weeks later, which later also turned out to be untrue.
The Minister has, like all other ministers, a duty to answer to the Riksdag. It is the Riksdag that appoints the government. It is not the government that appoints the Riksdag. Then the opportunity for members to ask questions to the ministers must also be prioritized, in accordance with the practice that exists in the Riksdag and which the Foreign Minister in this case has departed from.
Now to the question. I did indeed pose a question to the Minister regarding the attacks against the Sumud Flotilla. I also asked how the Swedish government would contribute to ensuring the safety of the boat convoy, but also the rights and safety of the Swedish citizens who were on board these boats.
Let me, in my first post, tell you why I asked this question. It is not only about the attacks. For 80 years, the Israeli occupation power, among other things with the support of the West, has been able to occupy, murder, persecute, displace, and torture the Palestinian population in what can now be seen as one large prison or as ruins.
For two years now, a genocide has been taking place before our eyes, in plain sight of the whole world. What has the Swedish government's line been then? Has it been what one could expect from Swedish governments once upon a time, to take the fight for peace and justice against occupation and genocide? No. Instead, we have had a government that has refused to even say that a genocide is taking place in Palestine and refused to sanction illegal settlers within the EU who fundamentally conduct illegal and extremist activities.
To compare with Ukraine and Russia, over 2,000 Russian individuals have been placed on the sanctions lists during the corresponding period. Up until today, 13 Israelis have been placed on the sanctions lists.
That is why the heroes who were on board the Sumud Flotilla and who initiated this tried to create a humanitarian corridor – for what do you do when you cannot count on governments to do their job? What you do is try to do the work. That is what the Sumud Flotilla did. The Swedish individuals who were on the boats did it to ensure that humanitarian aid would get in and to break the illegal blockade against Gaza.
So, what was the Swedish government's response to that? Well, it was nothing. I myself, who was a contact person for one of those who were on the boats and were arrested, was beaten and mistreated in Israeli prisons, can testify to the lack of help that the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs offered. For this, Maria Malmer Stenergard is guilty, and she must answer my questions about why it turned out that way.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Mr. Speaker! From the very first moment, the government's clear appeal has been that the voyage should be carried out in a peaceful manner. We therefore urged both Israel and the participants to act responsibly and avoid violence. That the situation, despite being tense, did not escalate into violence is something that we are very relieved about.
During the voyage, we were reached by media reports that drones, sound bombs, communication interference, and distress signals had been observed. Even though no one is reported to have been injured, these reports were worrying because they showed that the situation out at sea, where we lack the possibility to provide support of any kind, was insecure and risky.
It was precisely those tensions, together with our advice against travel to Gaza and Israel's clear communication that the blockade off the coast of Gaza would be maintained, that made the government consider it necessary to urge the participants to follow Israeli instructions and unload the supplies at a location other than Gaza. Then there would also have been a possibility for the supplies to come in, if that was indeed the purpose.
I want to turn against the interpellant's description of the government's work when we are one of the absolute largest donors in the world of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
We were contacted ourselves by Israel, who urged us to comment on the issue. In these contacts, we also emphasized the importance of Swedish citizens' rights being respected and that the situation did not develop into a violent confrontation. This message was also clearly conveyed to the Swedish participants. I also had personal contact with Israel's Foreign Minister.
Sweden, like other countries, lacks the possibility to provide consular assistance at sea, which I said initially. The government has therefore clearly conveyed this together with our long-standing advice against travel to Gaza in order to avoid Swedish citizens ending up in situations where we cannot provide support, that is, in order to protect our Swedish citizens.
I am incredibly impressed by the work that embassy staff have done on-site and that UD staff have done here in Stockholm to support Swedish citizens. We were one of the few countries that had staff on-site twice in the prison. That also does not match the picture being painted here.
Finally, I have at least understood it when I looked at the constitution that it is the Prime Minister who appoints the government and not the Riksdag.
Daniel Riazat (-)
Mr. Speaker! If the Minister wants to enter into that discussion, it is therefore the Riksdag that appoints the Prime Minister. I think we can talk about the question itself since there is nothing to contribute here from the Minister's side.
When it comes to being one of the biggest donors to Gaza, it becomes laughable considering that the Swedish government was also a driving force in the suspicion of precisely aid to Palestine, where they very deliberately pointed out Palestinian actors as various different extremists in order to be able to withdraw support for the UN agency UNRWA. That it happened was ensured by, among others, the Swedish Foreign Minister. I would be careful about talking about humanitarian aid when the whole world has witnessed the Swedish government cutting back on the aid.
When it comes to the Sumud Flotilla, the boats were in slightly different locations. We know that they were attacked with drones, as the minister himself has said. One does not need to be a rocket scientist to understand from where these attacks were directed, in the same way as one does not need to be one to understand how similar things subsequently happened during the entire journey towards Gaza.
Regarding international water, it is interesting that this government is doing everything in its power to come up with excuses for why Israel has the right to commit crimes against international laws. I do not understand. What does this government gain by trying to come up with excuses?
First, one does not want to talk about it being an occupation. Then, one does not want to talk about it being a genocide. One would preferably not speak openly about the trade in weapons and war materiel that exists between Sweden and Israel. When we then have Swedish heroes who try to participate in an international convoy to break the illegal blockade and occupation and ensure that people receive humanitarian aid, the response is to make up excuses as to why Israel has the right to seize boats in international waters that are there in a peaceful convoy for a peaceful purpose.
What does the Swedish government gain from this? Is Maria Malmer Stenergard, like her predecessors, former representatives, going to move on to the weapons industry? Is that the question? What is it that the minister gains by casting suspicion on the Swedes who were on board? We have all heard statements where the minister casts suspicion on the Swedes who were on board the boats and claims that their stories do not add up.
A right-wing Israeli minister has filmed in the prison where the Swedes were held and said that they have been mistreated. But the Swedish government is arguing to the rest of the world that this has not happened. Do you understand how crazy that is? This is a disgrace for Swedish foreign policy. We have never had a worse foreign minister in Sweden's history, and we have never had a worse foreign policy in Sweden's history.
How is it that other countries succeeded in getting help to those who were imprisoned while Sweden could not? Why could Sweden not even provide a bottle of water to the Swedes who were imprisoned while other countries were even able to get in medicine? I don't quite understand what the Swedish Foreign Minister gains from this, other than that she possibly stands ideologically closer to the Israeli government than I do. We are total opposites, and we will always stand up against occupation. It is for me the left of the future.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Mr. Speaker! Israel has a special responsibility under international humanitarian law to provide for the needs of the civilian population in Gaza and to ensure unimpeded, safe, and sustained humanitarian access. The UN and other humanitarian actors must be allowed to work independently and impartially to save lives and alleviate human suffering. The Government has very clearly criticized the decision not to let UNRWA operate, but for us, it has been absolutely crucial to ensure that the necessary supplies are brought in. Therefore, we have acted through other bodies, for example the UN agency World Food Programme, which succeeded in getting trucks with supplies in – even though they were far too few. Through this, the Swedish government has also made a real difference.
As I mentioned, the laws of war do provide some room for Israel to do as they did, that is to say, to stop and control ships on international waters. This also includes a right to bring the ship and the crew to a safe harbor, but Israel is responsible in such a situation for the safety of those persons. As has been stated, the government informed Israel that we expected the voyage to be carried out using peaceful methods and that it would be met in a corresponding manner by Israel.
The Swedes who were part of the flotilla have provided information to the media regarding assault and torture. Even though those reports do not correspond with the information that the embassy staff has conveyed, the reports have been taken seriously and have also been investigated. Israel has provided clarifications while simultaneously stating that they welcome all reviews of Israeli actions.
When it comes to food and water, the Swedes emphasized a lack of this during the meeting with the embassy. Therefore, officials from the embassy in Tel Aviv brought food, oral rehydration salts, and water during their second visit on 5 October to the prison. But the prison staff did not allow the supplies to be brought in, and the Swedish staff were forced, under protest, to hand them over in order to be allowed into the prison at all. None of the foreign diplomats who visited the prison were allowed to bring mobile phones in.
Then I want to correct the interpellor, namely that we have not cut back on the humanitarian aid to Gaza but have increased it. Sweden is, as stated, one of the world's largest donors of humanitarian aid.
I have answered the question of genocide many times. Sweden has an obligation to prevent genocide from occurring. That is also why Sweden is one of the largest donors of humanitarian aid in the world to Gaza. On the other hand, we have the same tradition as many governments before us, that is to say, we do not state genocide unless an international court has done so.
Daniel Riazat (-)
Mr. Speaker! Once again, the Swedish government, through the Minister for Foreign Affairs, continues to offer excuses as to why the Swedish government and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs did not provide the support they should have given to Swedes who were there. We who were in daily contact with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs can attest that the issue was absolutely taken seriously by some officials working there, but that there was not quite the support they needed from the government.
I also want to point out that there is a sit-in strike today with participants from Health Workers 4 Palestine, that is, healthcare workers for Palestine, some of whom are in the gallery. It will continue until 18.00 today, if I am not mistaken. The sit-in strike is about, among other things, reinstating aid to UNRWA, investigating war crimes against healthcare in Gaza, and receiving patients from Gaza.
This aligns with the larger narrative about the Swedish government's lack of initiative when it comes to taking action on the issue. It took one and a half years before they even agreed to say that a permanent ceasefire should be introduced in the country. Then they pretended as if they had never said anything else during this period.
In the same way, for a long time, excuses have been provided as to why we cannot receive patients from Gaza. There are many excuses as to why one cannot call a live-broadcast genocide a genocide. Perhaps it is millions and billions that one wants to earn from arms trading or the like. I cannot see any other explanation than that. If this is not about economic relations with Israel, I do not understand why the Foreign Minister is providing excuses.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Mr. Speaker! I have not actually perceived any further question but rather a series of various insults. I leave those there. I really just want to emphasize what an enormous amount of work the Ministry for Foreign Affairs' staff and the embassy did under difficult conditions. The embassy in Tel Aviv carried out an extensive consular effort for Global Sumud Flotilla with accompanying reinforcements from UD. On-site, five people worked full-time on the operation between October 1 and 6.
Personnel from the embassy and traveling UD personnel traveled to the prison as soon as it was possible. Sweden was one of the countries that were first allowed to meet their citizens and one of the few countries that ensured they were able to meet their citizens on a total of three occasions.
The embassy in Tel Aviv met the Swedish participants on a total of three occasions. It was twice in the prison and in connection with the departure. And the embassy in Athens was present at the airport in connection with the arrival in Athens for those cases where a need for consular support would arise there.
I think this voyage clearly shows why UD places great importance on tools such as travel information and advisories to reduce the risk of Swedish citizens ending up in dangerous situations, and the government was perfectly clear with its advisory. Nevertheless, the individuals chose to continue traveling, and they were deprived of their liberty because, according to the Israeli government, they had violated Israeli law. Despite this, the embassy in Tel Aviv was, therefore, well-prepared and could provide comprehensive consular support when the Swedes were taken to land.
Sweden cannot influence the legal processes of other countries, but we can safeguard the safety of Swedish citizens and urge them not to put themselves in situations where our ability to provide consular support is limited.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.