Response to interpellations 2022/23:290 and 358 on Israel's development and the Nakba
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
M stands up for Israel's legitimate security needs and condemns terrorist attacks 1 2, but considers that Israel as an occupying power has an international law responsibility and that measures must be proportionate 1 2. M does not want to suspend the EU's association agreement but believes in dialogue 1, emphasizes a two-state solution 1 2 and argues that Sweden and Israel share values regarding democracy 3. M considers that Palestine must implement reforms 3 and rejects that the government should take initiatives to commemorate Nakba 4. V advocates that Sweden should oppose deepened cooperation with Israel and suspend the association agreement 5. V argues that Israel commits crimes against international law 6 and is moving towards an authoritarian regime 6. V demands that Sweden stands up for international law and a two-state solution 7. S argues that Israel has committed abuses 8 and that Sweden should acknowledge Nakba 9. S considers that Israel must compensate displaced Palestinians or let them return 9.
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 Tobias Billström (M)
Madam Speaker! Lotta Johnsson Fornarve has asked me if the government will act against the increased violence against Palestinians, if the government will take any diplomatic measures aimed at countering the authoritarian development in Israel, if the government intends to work towards suspending the association agreement between the EU and Israel, and what other diplomatic measures the government is considering to contribute to a solution to the conflict and an end to Israel's occupation of Palestine.
Jamal El-Haj has asked me if I intend to take any initiative to draw attention to Nakba Day, if I intend to take any initiative within the EU to achieve new peace negotiations, and if I will take initiatives to prevent the expansion of Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land.
I answer the interpellations collectively.
The Government stands up for Israel's legitimate security needs. We view the increased use of violence in the occupied West Bank with great concern. It is central that the use of violence is proportionate and in accordance with international law, and that deaths are investigated and accountability is ensured. We condemn terrorist attacks against Israel, as well as the recurring indiscriminate rocket fire from terrorist organizations in Gaza. We regret the civilians who were killed or injured in connection with the latest escalation in Gaza in May 2023. It is of importance that the ceasefire agreement is respected. The Government stands behind the EU's long-established position that settlement expansion, demolitions, and evictions must cease. Israel has specific obligations and responsibilities under international law.
The government does not want to see a suspension of the EU's association agreement with Israel. We believe in dialogue. We consider it important that association councils between the EU and Israel are held regularly. It provides an opportunity to convey clear messages and to conduct conversations on various issues that are important for the EU-Israel relations.
Sweden voted for the UN partition plan in 1947 and stands fully and firmly behind the creation of Israel. At the same time, it is a historical fact that the subsequent Israeli-Arab war gave rise to suffering and a large number of Palestinian refugees. The government took no initiatives regarding marking the 75th anniversary of the events that the Palestinians refer to as nakba. The UN, however, noted this in accordance with a resolution adopted by the General Assembly. Sweden did not support the resolution but participated, together with a majority of EU countries, at a technical level in the meeting, which took place at the UN headquarters in New York.
Sweden's and the EU's strong conviction is that the only sustainable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict still lies in a negotiated two-state solution based on international law. The conditions for direct peace negotiations between the parties are unfortunately minimal at the current time. It is, however, still important with a clear and active EU commitment to contribute to de-escalation and promote the conditions for a negotiated two-state solution. The Government supports the efforts being made by, among others, the EU's High Representative, Josep Borrell, to contribute to a positive development.
For several months, an intense domestic political debate has been ongoing in Israel regarding the proposals that the Israeli government has put forward for extensive changes to the legal system. Israel is a living democracy. The EU's and Sweden's good relations with Israel are based on shared values of democracy and respect for the principles of the rule of law, and we assume that the principles of the rule of law will also continue to be respected in Israel.
Lotta Johnsson Fornarve (V)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer to my interpellation, even though I am not entirely satisfied with it. The Minister shows, I think, a lack of sensitivity when he answers: Israel is a living democracy. The EU's and Sweden's good relations with Israel are based on shared values of democracy and respect for the principles of the rule of law.
Are Israel's violations of human rights, international law, and the Palestinian people something that is consistent with the principles of the rule of law? Does the Minister not see that since Israel's new right-wing government took office, the violence has escalated drastically? It is a government supported by strongly ultra-Orthodox and far-right parties.
Does the Minister answer that it is compatible with the principles of the rule of law that the blockade against Gaza continues and also the construction of the wall that has long been condemned by the UN, that the number of illegal settlements on occupied land grows unhindered, that the displacement of Palestinians from eastern Jerusalem increases or that Israel imprisons thousands of Palestinian children in military courts and that Israel destroys buildings in Palestinian territory that have been paid for with Swedish aid? Is it compatible with the principles of the rule of law?
A few days after the Israeli Foreign Minister visited Sweden, Israel announced plans to double the number of settlers in the West Bank and legalize 147 informal settlements - a clear violation of international law and hardly compatible with a state that stands up for democracy and respect for the principles of the rule of law.
At the same time, a serious dismantling of democratic rights is taking place inside Israel. The government has put forward a legislative package that entails major changes to the judiciary. This includes, among other things, that parliament is given the power to overturn judgments from the country's Supreme Court. The proposal has met with large protests both inside Israel and in the rest of the world.
Vänsterpartiet is deeply concerned about the development, where Israel is now taking large steps towards a more brutalized and increasingly authoritarian regime. The occupation of Palestine has long been evidence that they do not care about either human rights or international humanitarian law.
The Swedish government has shown a limited commitment to the humanitarian situation in Palestine. For example, it has chosen to drastically cut aid to the country by as much as between 40 and 60 percent. The Swedish government and its parties in the Riksdag emphasize Israel's right to security but say very little about Palestine's right to security and even to be able to exist in peace.
The EU's High Representative, Borrell, recently noted that while the Palestinian government recognizes the two-state solution, the Israeli government does not.
Does the Minister, in his contacts with Israel, intend to demand that Israel stands up for the two-state solution and protest against the increased violence? Does the government intend to strongly condemn the illegal settlements and the annexation that is now taking place of Palestinian areas and in that way stand up for international law?
Jamal El-Haj (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Foreign Minister Tobias Billström, for the answer! Nor am I satisfied with the answer.
On May 15, it was 75 years since al-Nakba, the great catastrophe of 1948 when around 750,000 Palestinians were displaced and forced into flight. Over 400 villages were depopulated and leveled. Since then, Israel has denied those who were displaced the right to return. Even today, several million Palestinians live in refugee camps all over the world, and the displacement is still ongoing.
For the Israelis, it was a war of independence. For me and over 12 million Palestinians, the emergence and history of the State of Israel is a history of continuous ongoing abuses against the Palestinians, most recently in Gaza and East Jerusalem.
We have literally been driven out of our land, and many of those who have moved there refer to religious narratives as the basis for their right to occupy our land. This was also made possible by the British colonial power's decision in the Balfour Declaration in 1917 to give the Jews a national home in Palestine.
Palestine had in 1914 a population of around 800,000 people, of which 60,000, approximately 7.6 percent, were Jews. During the British mandate period, a large Jewish immigration occurred, and according to the UN investigation commission Unscop, there were in 1946 in Palestine approximately 1.9 million inhabitants, of which 33 percent were Jews, 58 percent Muslims and 8 percent Christians.
According to the UN partition plan of 1947, the Jews, who constituted one-third of the population, were to be allocated just over 55 percent of Palestine and the Palestinians, who constituted the majority, just under 45 percent.
War broke out. Approximately 750,000 Palestinians were displaced. Israel carried out several massacres; the most well-known is the Deir Yassin massacre. In Deir Yassin, between 100 and 250 people – elderly, children, and pregnant women – were murdered by a Jewish militia belonging to Irgun and the Stern Group. The Stern Group were also those who later murdered the Swedish mediator Folke Bernadotte.
In his response to my interpellation, the Foreign Minister condemns the terrorist attacks against Israel as well as the recurring indiscriminate rocket fire in Gaza. No one in this chamber questions this. On the other hand, the minister expresses that he regrets that civilians have been killed or injured in connection with the latest escalation in Gaza in May 2023.
How can the minister condemn attacks against Israel but only regret the killing of civilians, children, women, and the elderly in Gaza? Why can the minister not condemn both sides? Why can the minister not condemn Israel's confiscation of Palestinian land, the isolation of 2 million Gazans, and the killing of hundreds of children in recent years? Why can the minister not condemn the annexation of the occupied Palestinian territories in violation of international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention?
Utrikesministern Tobias Billström (M)
Madam Speaker! Thank you for the contributions from the interpellants!
It is naturally extremely regrettable that the development in the conflict between Israel and Palestine is going in the wrong direction. The number of deaths on both sides has increased sharply since the beginning of 2023. Several Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israelis have been carried out.
Sweden and the EU condemn all terrorist attacks, without exception. There is nothing that justifies terrorism. We likewise condemn the indiscriminate rocket fire against Israel by terrorist organizations in Gaza. It must come to an end.
As I mentioned earlier, Sweden and the EU stand up for Israel's legitimate security needs. At the same time, we are clear that Israel as an occupying power has an international law responsibility for the population under its control, and measures to maintain order and security must be proportionate and in line with international law, including human rights. The risk of innocent people being affected must be minimized, and it means that deaths must be investigated.
We also see a worrying increase in the violence that Israeli settlers in the West Bank direct against Palestinians. It is important that Israel intervenes against the violence and that those responsible are held accountable.
The area of conflict between Israeli settlers and Palestinians continues to grow as the settlements in occupied territory expand. Sweden and the EU consistently point out that Israel's settlement policy violates international law, undermines the two-state solution, and contributes to an elevated level of conflict. Israel must cease its settlement policy and live up to its international law obligations as an occupying power. We will continue to voice criticism when violations of international law are committed by any party in the conflict.
Israelis and Palestinians have an equal right to live in peace and security and to enjoy human rights. With the negative developments in the conflict, we are moving further and further away from this. Sweden, the EU and the international community are convinced that it is only through a negotiated two-state solution with a firm anchoring in international law and with Jerusalem as the capital for both states that Israel and Palestine will be able to live side by side in peace and security.
We need to continue working towards that goal. In the short term, it is important that both sides refrain from actions that escalate the tense situation. That the commitments made at the meetings in Akaba and in Sharm el-Sheikh earlier this year are now respected and implemented is important to enable a development in the right direction.
In the longer term, resumed peace negotiations that address the root causes of the conflict are required, and even though the prospects for this are limited at present, we must not give up hope that it may one day become possible. Sweden supports the efforts made by the EU's High Representative Josep Borrell and by others to promote the conditions for a sustainable peace in the long term. Sustained international commitment is necessary for this.
Lotta Johnsson Fornarve (V)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the clarification!
There will never be peace as long as Israel refuses to respect the Palestinians' most basic human rights. Through its consistent violations of international law, Israel appears genuinely uninterested in ending the occupation of Palestinian land that has been ongoing for decades and which is the key to a lasting peace in the Middle East.
I still think it is good that the Minister says that one must intervene against Israel's settlement policy and that Israel must cease the settlement policy and uphold international law. But then the Swedish government must become much clearer with that message and convey it clearly and distinctly to the Israeli government. I still think it is very strange to talk about Israel being a state that stands up for the principles of the rule of law when it commits such large crimes against international law as it consistently does in a number of different areas.
Unfortunately, we see how the development is going in the completely wrong direction. In February, a series of measures were carried out that international law experts and several EU countries, for example France, Belgium and Luxembourg, have characterized as an annexation or major steps towards an annexation. Will Sweden join the states that criticize the steps taken towards the annexation, or does the UN Charter only apply to certain states?
Settlements that are built receive retroactive permits from Israel despite being illegal under international law. When it comes to Palestinians' right to build, statistics show that 98 percent of those who apply are denied permits. New figures from the EU and the UN point to a sharp increase during 2024 with the demolition of 290 Palestinian buildings, of which 28 were financed with aid from Sweden and the EU. Does the Swedish government intend to protest against the occupying power deliberately destroying Swedish and EU-financed aid?
The cooperation between the EU and Israel is extensive and gives the EU an opportunity to put pressure on Israel to respect international law. Sweden, as the chair of the EU, can play a decisive role both for a future peace and reconciliation process and for the efforts to build a Palestinian state formation today.
The EU's association agreement with Israel includes favorable trade agreements that provide the Israeli business community with significant economic advantages. In this way, the EU contributes to strengthening the economic base of the occupying power. At the same time, the agreements are conditional on respect for human rights. Sweden should oppose the EU deepening its cooperation with Israel in any area and suspend the current association agreement.
When the minister speaks of Sweden and Israel sharing values, I wonder which values the minister is thinking of. Does it concern, for example, the approval of illegal settlements? I did hear that it was not. Is it the imprisonment of children in military courts without a fair trial where torture is common, or the right to demolish Palestinian buildings that have been financed with the help of Swedish aid? Or is it the change in the judiciary that makes the courts practically toothless?
Jamal El-Haj (S)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs for the answer and the clarification.
The fact is that the new right-wing government in Israel does not want peace. It is the Palestinians who have strived for peace during all these years. Sweden should take notice of the Nakba. In Sweden today, there are around 7,000 people born in Palestine, and over a hundred thousand people have Palestinian roots. Many of them are party friends of the Foreign Minister.
The fact is that since 1967, a slow annexation of the occupied territories has been ongoing through what is called the housing movement. Unless a peace process that seriously stands up for a two-state solution, where an independent Palestine is respected and illegal settlements cease immediately, a catastrophe in the region is risked. The settlers are armed with the Israeli state's good memory and harass their Palestinian neighbors.
Slowly, the Palestinians are being pushed out of their homes and lands. In East Jerusalem, neighborhood after neighborhood is being taken over by Israeli settlers with the help of legal maneuvers whereby Israelis become owners of properties that have been inhabited by Palestinians by custom. The old tenants are driven out, and the houses are demolished. New residential neighborhoods are created.
No right-wing government based on the support of ultranationalists and orthodox extremists can solve the Palestine issue. Their solution consists of incorporating the occupied territories into Israel and that both these and Israel are expected to consist of only Israelis while the Palestinians are to be driven out. Already today, a war is ongoing which particularly affects Palestinian children and young people, who are forced to grow up in an everyday life characterized by discrimination, oppression, and violence. Children are shot with rubber bullets in demonstrations and are abused by both settlers and soldiers.
How much longer is this allowed to continue while Sweden's Foreign Minister condemns the Palestinians' actions but only regrets the Israeli actions? That is not how it works. That is how Sweden loses its position in the world as a country that has always stood up for human dignity and democracy and against occupation.
Israel must compensate the displaced Palestinians for their property losses or allow them to return in accordance with UN Resolution 194. Sweden has voted for that resolution. Should not Tobias Billström, who is Sweden's Minister for Foreign Affairs, stand up for this resolution that Sweden has recognized? The UN has noted the 75th anniversary of Nakba Day. Should not the government in Sweden, which is a member of the UN, follow the UN's example and note Nakba Day?
The ultimate tragedy is not the brutality of evil people but the silence of good people. These words come from Pastor Martin Luther King. Let us follow King's words when it comes to Palestine's suffering and vulnerability for 75 years!
Utrikesministern Tobias Billström (M)
Madam Speaker! How the grim development in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is to be reversed is not a question that has any simple answer. Fundamentally, it is about the fact that on both the Israeli and Palestinian sides, one must come to the realization that a negotiated two-state solution is the only sustainable solution and that it lies in both Israel's and Palestine's interest.
The Government believes in the importance of diplomatic engagement and work to reach that goal. Sweden and the EU, as well as the international community at large, need to adhere to a clear international law-based policy as the basis for continued efforts in relation to both parties. Our assessment is that dialogue and constructive engagement is the way forward, not sanctions or severed cooperation.
We must safeguard the dialogue we have with Israel, and the EU-Israel Association Council is a valuable platform for conveying clear messages and discussing important issues in the EU's relations with Israel. It was an important step that the Association Council could finally be resumed in 2022, and I welcome that the previous government was proactive regarding this. During the decade prior, when the Association Council did not take place, it can be argued that the EU had poorer opportunities to influence Israel's actions in relation to the conflict with Palestine. We look forward to holding a new Association Council before the end of the year.
In a similar vein, we support the EU's approach to have a regular high-level dialogue with Palestine. Another such occasion is planned for the autumn, which the government welcomes. To strengthen the conditions for a resumed peace process, it is essential that Palestine addresses the lack of democratic legitimacy and national unity that for many years has constituted an obstacle to progress. National elections have not been held since 2006, and the Palestinian split between the West Bank, which is governed by the Palestinian Authority, and Gaza, which is controlled by the terror-listed Hamas, persists.
Sweden and the EU need to continue to consistently and with great clarity emphasize the importance of Palestine holding national elections and achieving intra-Palestinian reconciliation. There is also a great need for Palestinian reforms to strengthen the rule of law, human rights, and equality. Furthermore, Israel has an obligation to contribute to ensuring that Palestinian elections can be held in East Jerusalem, in accordance with the Oslo Accords.
All Palestinian groups should clearly distance themselves from violence and terrorism, recognize Israel's right to exist, and adhere to the agreements concluded with Israel on the Palestinian side. For Israel, it is a strength to be a living democracy. The good relations that the EU and Sweden have with Israel are based on shared values regarding democracy and the principles of the rule of law.
I do not intend to comment on or anticipate the outcome of the domestic political debate in Israel regarding the extensive changes to the legal system that the Israeli government has proposed. We – Sweden and the EU – proceed from and expect that the principles of the rule of law will be respected in Israel also in the future.
Lotta Johnsson Fornarve (V)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister again for the answer.
Of course, it is important that Palestine also stands up for human rights and implements a number of reforms, but one must still see what is the fundamental cause of the conflict: Israel's occupation and unwillingness to respect human rights and constant violations of international law.
Israel's violations of human rights, international law, and the Palestinian people not only continue but are also becoming increasingly grave. Since it became clear that Israel's new government consists of a coalition of very strongly ultra-Orthodox far-right parties, the violence has escalated drastically. It is clear that both settlers and Israeli soldiers are taking the new policy as a pretext for increased brutalization. The number of illegal settlements on occupied land is growing unchecked, and the displacement of Palestinians from East Jerusalem is increasing.
Does the minister clearly intend to demand in his contacts with Israel that Israel stands up for a two-state solution? That is not being done today. Distance has been taken from it, while the Palestinian state stands up for the two-state solution. Does the minister clearly intend to protest against the increased violence that is now being carried out by Israel? Does the government intend to powerfully condemn the illegal settlements and the annexation of Palestinian areas that is now ongoing and stand up for international law?
Sweden has been very clear regarding Russia's occupation of parts of Ukraine. Should the government not be equally clear regarding Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine? I do not think I hear that clear criticism being voiced. Here, Sweden needs to stand up for Palestine, for international law, and for a peaceful solution to the conflict in an even clearer way.
Jamal El-Haj (S)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs for the answer. I regret, however, that the Minister for Foreign Affairs has not answered my questions.
The fact is that the occupation is the reason why elections have not been held in Palestine since 2006. Israel does not want to allow the residents of Jerusalem to participate in the election. That is the biggest reason why elections have not taken place. I would like and wish that there were elections as early as tomorrow.
"The fight for justice has also historically been a strong driving force for suffrage, against apartheid, for equality, against discrimination and for the rule of law." Who says this? Yes, the Moderates in their much criticized ideological program. Everyone knows that it is false and that it is not true. The Moderates have never been a driving force either for suffrage or against apartheid.
But the Moderates now have an excellent chance to stand on the right side of history by acting for the Palestinians' rights and for their right to return to their homeland in Palestine in accordance with UN resolution 194, which Sweden has voted for and recognized, instead of regretting it later and trying to falsify history as the Moderates previously did with South Africa.
Sweden has always played a balanced role in the Middle East, and even the former Moderate Minister for Government Affairs and Foreign Affairs, Carl Bildt, has criticized Israel's occupation.
In a speech in 1997 on International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people, Nelson Mandela confirmed his support for Palestine. He said: "We know all too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians." I hope that Billström and the government stand up for that.
Utrikesministern Tobias Billström (M)
Madam Speaker! Thanks to the interveners for the debate! I must, however, begin by stating that Jamal El-Haj's claim that the Moderates have never been in favor of the right to vote is, of course, completely incorrect. That is not the case, naturally.
This year marks 75 years since the State of Israel was formed. That the Jewish people received their own homeland a few years after the Holocaust is an event of central historical significance. Sweden voted in 1947 for the UN partition plan, which enabled the formation of Israel the following year. We rejoice in the good and broad relationship between our countries, which we wish to further strengthen and deepen in the coming years.
At the same time as Israel celebrates its 75th anniversary, the Palestinians maintain the memory of what they call al-nakba, the catastrophe. It is a fact that the UN partition plan was not accepted by the Palestinians, nor by the surrounding Arab countries. The conflict between the population groups in the British Mandate of Palestine escalated, and after Israel's declaration of independence on 14 May 1948, the Arab states launched a war of attack against Israel. Around 700,000 Palestinians lost their homes in these events, which are part of the conflict that Israelis and Palestinians live with even today.
This history is subject to different perspectives in Israel and Palestine respectively. The rest of the world should have respect for this. Our role is not to sign off on one historical narrative or the other, to take sides with one or the other side, but to be a support for both Israel and Palestine in achieving a peaceful end to the conflict that has lasted for so long.
Against this background, it is not relevant for the government to take any initiatives that commemorate the Nakba. On the other hand, Sweden, as I mentioned, was represented at a technical level at the UN's commemoration of the Nakba. This was done together with a number of EU countries.
In the same way as the UN partition plan, we are still today convinced that the solution lies in an agreement that entails that two states, Israel and Palestine, can live side by side in peace and security.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.