Danish PM Calls Netanyahu a ‘Problem,’ Pushes EU Sanctions, Rejects Palestinian State Recognition
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Saturday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become “a problem,” and she will push the European Union to consider Russia-style sanctions on Israel—while rejecting immediate recognition of a Palestinian state.
Frederiksen, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, told Denmark’s Jyllands-Posten that Copenhagen is exploring measures “just as with Russia,” designed to “have the greatest effect.” Options under discussion include targeting individual settlers and ministers as well as broader trade or research ties. “We are not ruling anything out in advance,” she said, adding that Denmark is among the countries pressing for tougher EU action but has not yet secured a consensus.
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A longtime supporter of Israel, Frederiksen said she believes Israel “would be better off without Netanyahu,” arguing his government is acting against Israel’s interests. She condemned the humanitarian toll of the Gaza war as “absolutely appalling and catastrophic.” She criticized settlement expansion and settler violence, including plans for more than 3,000 housing units in the West Bank’s E1 area.
Frederiksen said Denmark will not join other European states in recognizing Palestine “here and now.” In a Facebook post, she wrote that immediate recognition “will not help the thousands of children currently fighting for their survival,” and stressed that Denmark does not wish to “reward” Hamas. Recognition, she said, should occur only when it genuinely advances a two-state solution—“when a sustainable and democratic state in Palestine can be secured without the influence of Hamas,” and with mutual recognition of Israel.
