Sweden must be a strong voice for a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine when the war in Gaza is over.
“It may appear utopian right now, but the vast majority realize that it is the only possible path to sustainable peace.”
This is what Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) writes with several ministers on SvD Debatt.
The government “unreservedly condemns Hamas’s barbaric terrorist attack” and stands behind Israel’s right to defend itself. But, the ministers write, the right to defend oneself must be exercised in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law – and the same rights must also be protected for the Palestinians.
Israel’s settlements in the West Bank therefore pose a threat to a future two-state solution, according to the government. In addition, settler violence has increased since October 7 with harassment of Palestinians and vandalism of property and agricultural land.
“Israel must now seriously address the unacceptable settler violence and stop the expansion of settlements,” the ministers write, while stressing that the Palestinian side should once and for all distance itself from violence and terror.
The ministers also write that Sweden is ready to contribute to a European initiative to revive the two-state solution.