Response to interpellation 2025/26:470 on Israel's attack on the flotilla Global Sumud
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
M argues that Israel has the space to control ships in international waters 1 2 and that the government prioritizes aid via organizations over flotillas, which is seen as costly waste 2 3. M claims that Sweden is pushing for sanctions against Israeli ministers 2 4 and that the government has acted to ensure Swedes' rights 1 2. M believes that symbolic politics such as flotillas do not make a difference 4 and that Sweden delivers more humanitarian aid than any other EU country 4. M is proud that the government makes difficult decisions and allocates funds to organizations that can actually deliver aid 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)
Madam Speaker! Lorena Delgado Varas has asked me what immediate diplomatic measures I intend to take to publicly condemn the handling of the 175 civilians, including the Swedish citizens, and demand that Israel release them immediately.
Lorena Delgado Varas has also asked whether the government will request an official statement from Greece on whether they, as the state responsible for maritime surveillance in the area, intervened or attempted to prevent the attack in international waters.
Furthermore, Lorena Delgado Varas has asked whether I and the government intend to pursue the issue in the EU's Foreign Affairs Council to advocate for targeted sanctions against those responsible as well as for legal measures in accordance with international law.
Lorena Delgado Varas has further asked whether I and the government will act for an independent international investigation of the crimes against the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the SOLAS Convention in connection with the attack.
Lorena Delgado Varas has also asked what concrete steps I and the government are prepared to take to ensure that the flotilla, or other humanitarian sea transports, can continue their mission.
Lorena Delgado Varas has finally asked whether I and the government provide any support to the families of the Swedish citizens who participated in the flotilla.
Even before the Israeli intervention on April 30 against the flotilla off Crete, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Sweden's embassy in Tel Aviv contacted Israeli representatives to clarify Sweden's expectation that the rights of Swedish citizens, including consular rights, be respected, as well as the importance of the safety of Swedes. I also conveyed this directly to my Israeli counterpart.
The Swedish citizen who was deprived of liberty by Israel in connection with the boarding of the flotilla is no longer deprived of liberty.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs sent specially trained reinforcement personnel in order to support the embassies in Athens and Tel Aviv and was in continuous contact with relatives.
According to the laws of war, Israel has a certain scope to stop and control ships on international waters.
Lorena Delgado Varas (-)
I hope that the minister stays this time and debates fully, not like last time.
International law principles require different conditions for a legal blockade. We have always stated that Israel's blockade of Gaza is illegal. Regardless of that, Israel may not stop humanitarian aid, but that was exactly what they did. Since the blockade is illegal and Israel has no right to the waters outside Gaza, they also have no right to stop ships in international waters. Still, the minister says that Israel has some room for maneuver. That is wrong – legally wrong – and it is dangerous that the minister repeatedly says this.
The International Court of Justice issued orders in January, March, and May 2024 regarding immediate humanitarian access to Gaza. The Global Sumud Flotilla operated in accordance with these orders. Nevertheless, Israel chose to attack the ships. Malmer does not mention the International Court of Justice a single time.
The Minister reduces the 175 civilians and the additional 485 to a consular issue regarding a Swede, but the issue is much larger than that. Time and again, humanitarian aid efforts on international waters are attacked. What is the government doing to demand accountability and that the law be followed? Where is the solidarity?
The Minister's response is about making Sweden a country that does not take responsibility and that should escape doing anything when a genocide occurs. We have noted this a long time ago.
The Minister told that she had had contact with Israel and that she expects that Swedes' rights are respected. Israel does not care about expectations; we already know that. We have established this a long time ago. What Israel cares about are consequences. So where are the consequences for Israel? Where are the condemnations? Contact is not diplomacy. Contact is being an accomplice to what is happening.
The Minister refuses to answer what Sweden will do moving forward. I asked how we are to protect future flotillas. Answer: Nothing. How are we to support the families? Well, there you go. How are we to push for sanctions in the EU? Answer: Almost nothing. The Minister does not answer anything. She tells a little about what she has done, which is almost nothing – during more than two years of ongoing genocide.
There are several violations of international law that Malmer turns a blind eye to. She legitimizes an illegal blockade. She ignores the International Court of Justice. She forgets the hundreds of thousands who were murdered during the genocide. She forgets the thousands who have been kidnapped by Israel, who have been tortured, raped and abused, including those who intended to deliver humanitarian aid. She offers contact instead of action. She simply refuses to answer. It is shameful.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! As I mentioned, according to the laws of naval warfare, Israel has a certain scope to stop and control ships on international waters under certain conditions. This is, of course, not just something I am saying, but a long line of international law experts make this assessment. Naturally, it is their assessments that I rely on when I make such a statement.
At the same time, the law of the sea, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the right of freedom of navigation and the SOLAS Convention apply. This does not, however, prevent Israel from having the right to maintain its naval blockade.
The Foreign Service has no possibility of providing consular support at sea but assisted the Swedish participants in both Greece and Israel. The Swedish Embassy in Tel Aviv was in continuous contact with Israeli authorities to, among other things, convey clear messages regarding the importance of the Swedes' safety and respect for their rights, including consular rights.
The UD also stood in contact with Israeli authorities. Specially trained rapid response personnel were sent from the UD to Israel and Greece to support our embassies in the consular work. It is not unimportant. I find it interesting that Lorena Delgado Varas says that contact is not diplomacy. In that case, one probably has not understood very much of what diplomacy is about.
Then Lorena Delgado Varas said that the government is not taking responsibility. It could not be more wrong. Last year, Sweden was the largest donor in the EU of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Unlike the flotilla travelers, we ensure that we use organizations that ensure that the aid actually arrives.
I cannot free myself from the thought, Madam Speaker, that the flotillas are much more about shining a light on themselves than about ensuring that humanitarian aid actually gets into Gaza. For us in the government, it is the children who are suffering in a completely horrific way in Gaza who are at the center of what we do. That is why we ensure that we work through organizations such as the World Food Programme – to truly ensure that these children get food for the day. We do not embark on stunts to shine a light on ourselves without ensuring that the aid arrives. The children do not have time for that.
Finally, Madam Speaker, we are pushing in the EU to implement further sanctions against the Israeli government, because we are concerned that we still do not see full humanitarian access to Gaza and that settlements are being carried out so offensively in the West Bank. Therefore, we want to introduce sanctions against activist Israeli ministers.
Lorena Delgado Varas (-)
I really do not know what to say about the minister's answer that the Global Sumud Flotilla is turning the spotlight on itself. Several there were raped. Several came home with broken legs. The only thing they are carrying with them is food, medicine and other aids to be able to guarantee an everyday life in Gaza.
The government sends humanitarian aid, but the humanitarian aid is not reaching there in sufficient quantities. The people in Gaza are starving, and that is the truth. The people are still enduring the bombs, and that is also a truth.
The Minister's answer today is the same as after the previous Global Sumud Flotilla: Israel has the right to stop and control. I also say the same thing again: stop and control – not kidnap, not torture, not rape, not abuse.
Sweden shall follow the principles of international law, and humanitarian law is included here. If one interprets the principles correctly, Sweden must not actively support a state that commits crimes. Nevertheless, the minister chooses to do so, partly by being passive, and partly by increasing trade with Israel instead of stopping it entirely. The principles also mean that all authorities shall act to stop the violations. One cannot act with double standards, Minister, and act against Russia because one is buddy with Ukraine but not act against Israel because one is buddy with a genocidal state.
For a blockade to be legal, several things are required, and we and the international community state that the blockade against Gaza is illegal. That is the basis.
All the boats that were boarded, and where the volunteers were kidnapped, were in international waters, far from Israel and Gaza. They were outside Greece and Cyprus, thus within the EU. This is a violation of states' rights, and if anything, it should concern the minister.
Israel acts in this way because their actions have had no consequences whatsoever. I hope that the minister does not bring up the sanctions against the settlers, which were about 15 last year. It is nothing compared to the consequences that Israel's actions should have had a long time ago.
The truth is that Israel has no right to block humanitarian aid. I know that, the minister does, and everyone who works with such issues does. This is the most important thing.
The Sumud Flotilla transported food, medicine and school supplies, nothing else. Civil disobedience was practiced, not violence. But it was violence that was encountered.
I hope that the minister takes their responsibility and has the courage to stand up to Israel, because enough is enough. Enough of bombs, killing and torture.
ANDRE VICE TALMANNEN
I would like to remind the member to direct their remarks to the Speaker.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! Let me be very clear that the government views the humanitarian situation in Gaza very seriously. The civilian population's humanitarian needs are enormous, and more emergency aid must get in. But the support does not have to come by sea. On the contrary, it is our duty to ensure that every tax krona we use to try to help the children in Gaza truly has the greatest possible chance of actually helping. That is why we choose to go via organizations that we know can enter and operate in Gaza, such as the World Food Programme.
One might think that those who set out on these sea voyages at this time should have learned that the help does not arrive and that it is a costly waste to use this method. Furthermore, this draws enormous resources from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, resources that we could have used in a much better way. I think one takes on a rather large responsibility when one imposes such large costs on the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
The Government will continue to set clear demands for unimpeded humanitarian access for the UN, international non-governmental organizations, and humanitarian actors. We are working within the EU to increase the pressure on Israel in various ways, both politically and economically. The Government has consistently, both bilaterally and through the EU, underlined Israel's obligation to act in accordance with international law, including international humanitarian law.
Sweden's humanitarian support to Gaza is, as I mentioned earlier, extensive, and as recently as this week, the government decided on a support package of 235 million kronor with a particular focus on healthcare efforts. I can add that in March, the government decided on a support package to Gaza of 555 million kronor with a particular focus on children's well-being, health, and recovery. The goal is that these funds shall, among other things, enable approximately 150,000 children to have access to improved healthcare and that approximately 50,000 children shall be able to return to learning. Sweden's total humanitarian aid to Palestine since October 7, 2023, now amounts to over 2.4 billion kronor, and as I mentioned, last year we were the largest donor in the EU of humanitarian support to Gaza. In addition, Sweden continues to provide substantial core support to several of the central actors who are still active on the ground.
Lorena Delgado Varas (-)
I am completely stunned by how the minister answers my questions. She boasts about the millions Sweden sends to Gaza. At the same time, Sweden contributes at least as much to Israel through trade and cooperation. Swedish universities have not even been stopped from cooperating with Israeli universities, even though we know that the Israeli universities are working continuously to reinforce the genocide.
The government cannot provide grants in this way and simultaneously support the state of Israel. It prolongs the genocide. The only right thing would be for the government to stop the trade and cooperation with Israel and demand that Israel cease its genocide.
The Minister has had many opportunities to condemn Israel, investigate, and act for real, but she has chosen not to do so. For two and a half years, the Minister has had the chance to condemn Israel but has never done so. The Minister continuously chooses Israel over international law. That is the truth. It is not possible to boast about the money sent to humanitarian aid when one simultaneously supports the Israeli military industry through purchases to Sweden and supports Israeli universities that reinforce the genocide. It doesn't work. The Minister knows this very well, and that is why this is being dragged out.
My thoughts go to the people in Palestine, for it is they who stand first. I hope that the minister does what she should do.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! Sweden is one of the countries in the EU that is most clearly pushing to put further pressure on Israel. We do this against the background of the settlements in the West Bank, where we see a very serious development. For example, construction projects in the E1 area are to be tendered on Monday. This was discussed at the informal council meeting yesterday in Cyprus, and Sweden and France then pushed together for further differentiation of goods from settlements. Sweden is also pushing in many other ways within the EU to put further pressure on Israel. But the interpellator naturally chooses to ignore this because it does not fit into her narrative.
Madam Speaker! What I primarily turn towards and generally find difficult is symbol politics, that is to say, politics that may feel good in one's own stomach but which really do not make a difference in reality, and those who give the appearance that these flotillas are the only way to help Gaza do nothing other than engage in symbol politics.
Then it is interesting that the interpellator says that for me as minister, it is not possible to boast about our humanitarian aid. Why is that not the case, Madam Speaker? We deliver more humanitarian aid to Gaza than any of the EU countries. Now the interpellator is shaking their head. That is also interesting: Facts do not bite. It is more symbols that bite. But this, it is therefore thought that we should not boast about.
I am very proud that the government chooses to make difficult decisions and allocate significant funds to organizations that can actually get aid into Gaza. That is what matters to me, not making films during voyages that never lead to a single gram of food reaching the children in Gaza.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.