A group of thirteen former Nordic foreign and defence ministers has issued a joint letter to European leaders, urging immediate action to prevent war crimes and avert a catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
A group of thirteen former Nordic foreign and defence ministers has issued a joint letter to European leaders, urging immediate action to prevent war crimes and avert a catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
A group of thirteen former Nordic foreign and defence ministers has issued a joint letter to European leaders, urging immediate action to prevent war crimes and avert a catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
To the Governments of Europe and the Institutions of the European Union,
The time has come to break the deafening silence with which much of the international community has observed the continuing devastation in Gaza. The scale of destruction is unconscionable: over 50,000 Palestinians have lost their lives, the overwhelming majority of them women, children, and non-combatant civilians, among them hundreds of journalists and humanitarian workers. The calculated obstruction of humanitarian aid by the State of Israel amounts, in effect, to the deployment of starvation as a weapon of war. What we are now witnessing appears to be the systematic expulsion of an entire population, a policy tantamount to ethnic cleansing.
We, the undersigned, urge the governments of Europe and the European Union to act without delay to halt the commission of war crimes and to prevent the further deterioration of an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis. It is incumbent upon Europe to deploy the full weight of its diplomatic, legal, and economic instruments to secure an immediate and sustained ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and the unhindered delivery of essential humanitarian relief, including medical supplies, food, and water, to the civilian population. Should such diplomatic entreaties fail to yield compliance, the European Union must stand ready to impose targeted political and economic sanctions on those responsible.
Hamas, long designated a terrorist organisation, bears grave responsibility for crimes against both Israeli and Palestinian civilians. Many of its senior figures had been indicted before their deaths by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The State of Israel, like all sovereign nations, possesses the inalienable right to defend itself. Yet this right does not, and must not, extend to the perpetration of war crimes or crimes against humanity. Those Israeli officials and military personnel accused of such offences have likewise been subject to ICC indictment. As State Parties to the Rome Statute, all European Union member states are legally bound to uphold the authority and impartiality of the Court, irrespective of the political sensitivity of its findings.
International humanitarian law must be applied consistently, without favour or exception. All violations, whether committed by state or non-state actors, must be rigorously investigated and prosecuted. Impunity, in any form, corrodes the foundations of international order.
A reversion to the political and territorial status quo ante of October 2023 offers no sustainable path to peace. A just and enduring resolution to this conflict demands the creation of a viable, sovereign Palestinian state, living in peace and security alongside Israel. As an essential step toward reviving a credible peace process, we call upon all European governments that have not yet done so to extend formal recognition to the State of Palestine. Such recognition would not only affirm the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination but also serve as a catalyst for renewed diplomacy.
Europe must work in close partnership with its Arab neighbours and international allies to reconstitute a political process capable of delivering a two-state solution founded on justice, equality, and mutual recognition. An apartheid-like regime in the region, one that systematically denies equal rights on the basis of ethnicity or religion, is neither morally tenable nor politically sustainable. In the event that a two-state solution proves unattainable, the only acceptable alternative is the establishment of a single democratic, secular state in which all citizens, irrespective of faith or ethnicity, enjoy equal rights, protections, and responsibilities.
The gravity of this moment calls for principled leadership and unflinching resolve. The European Union must rise to the occasion and act in defence of human dignity, international law, and the possibility of a just and lasting peace.
Signatories:
Bertel Haarder – Minister of Education of Denmark (1982-94, 2007-10)
Heidi Hautala – Minister for International Development of Finland (2011–13)
Peter Hultqvist – Minister for Defence of Sweden (2014–22)
Thorbjørn Jagland – Prime Minister of Norway (1996–97), Minister for Foreign Affairs (2000–01)
Morgan Johansson – Minister for Justice of Sweden (2014-22)
Martin Lidegaard – Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark (2014–15)
Ann Linde – Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden (2019–22)
Mogens Lykketoft – Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark (2000–01)
Elisabeth Rehn – Minister of Defence of Finland (1990–95)
Pertti Salolainen – Minister for Foreign Trade of Finland (1987–95)
Pär Stenbäck – Minister of Education and Foreign Affairs of Finland (1979–83)
Villy Søvndal – Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark (2011–13)
Erkki Tuomioja – Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland (2000–07, 2011–15)