Sweden’s radical left pins foreign minister over Israel comments

The Swedish Left Party filed a complaint against Foreign Minister Tobias Billström with the parliamentary constitutional committee following his statement calling Israel’s response to the Hamas strike proportionate.

Asked whether the Israeli attack on 31 October that hit the Jabalia refugee camp was proportionate or constituted a war crime at the recent Nordic Council Session in Oslo, Billström said Israel’s response was proportionate, the complaint reads.

“Israel’s response is proportionate. As the government has said, Israel has a right to defend itself militarily against Hamas terrorist attacks, and that is what was meant by this concept.”, he added.

Billström also said that all parties must comply with international humanitarian law and that proportionality must be assessed on a case-by-case basis, considering the specific circumstances.

However, the Left Party argues that the foreign minister seems to have misunderstood the meaning of proportionality, noting that it also refers to weighing up whether attacks are proportionate to civilian suffering.

The report on the minister could ultimately lead to a vote of impeachment in parliament, which is “very unlikely” to pass, according to a source close to the matter.

” They have to send a message to their voters,” the source told Euractiv, adding that such a move could help the Left Party win over some traditional Social Democrat voters.

In the last elections, the Left Party received 8% of the vote, losing almost 2% compared to the previous elections, while the Social Democratic Party remains the first party in the Swedish political landscape with 28.3%.

In addition to a vote of no confidence, the Constitutional Committee may take other measures, such as issuing a reprimand or requiring the minister to make amends. It may also need the government to take specific actions, such as amending legislation or implementing new policies.

(Charles Szumski | Euractiv.com)