Copenhagen (TDI): Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Saturday described her Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu as a “problem,” and said she intends to push for stronger European Union action against Israel over the Gaza conflict, with Denmark currently holding the bloc’s rotating presidency.
“Netanyahu himself has now become a problem,” Frederiksen told the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, criticizing what she described as Israel’s excessive policies.
She strongly condemned the “horrific and catastrophic” humanitarian conditions in Gaza, as well as Israel’s newly announced settlement plans in the occupied West Bank.
According to Frederiksen, Denmark is among the states seeking to intensify pressure on Israel, though she admitted there is not yet full consensus within the EU.
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The Danish leader said she is open to various measures, including political pressure and targeted sanctions, whether directed at individual settlers, cabinet members, or potentially Israel as a whole. These could range from trade restrictions to limits on research cooperation.
“We are not excluding any options. As with Russia, sanctions should be crafted to hit where they are most effective,” Frederiksen noted.
Although Denmark has not joined the list of countries that formally recognize Palestinian statehood, Frederiksen said Copenhagen is weighing broader strategies to respond to the crisis.
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The war erupted after Hamas launched a deadly assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,219 people, most of them civilians.
Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has left more than 61,430 Palestinians dead, the majority civilians, based on data from Gaza’s health ministry that the United Nations cites as credible.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
