Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström called for a thorough and credible investigation of whether extrajudicial killings have been used by Israel during the last months of violence, knife attacks and clashes between Israelis and Palestinians, Expressen reported Tuesday.
Wallström also referred to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein who, back in October, stressed that the Israeli response was disproportionate and that the extrajudicial killings could be suspect.
“It is vital that there be a thorough, credible investigation into these deaths in order to clarify and bring about possible accountability,” said Wallström.
On Thursday, January 7, Paris police shot dead a man who tried to enter a police station brandishing a butcher’s knife and wearing a fake suicide vest on the one-year anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attack. The man was carrying a piece of paper marked with the Islamic State flag and a a mobile phone. He yelled “Allahu Akbar” and police shot him dead. The only difference between that incident and Israel’s four-month experience is that over in Paris it only happened that one time, while in Israel the very same event is repeated as many three and four times each day. Crazed Arabs go out into the street armed with knives to stab Jews, or drive their cars into groups of Jews, or throw rocks and Molotov cocktails at Jewish cars. What would be the proportionate way of stopping a crazed person armed with a knife attacking a civilian?
Margot Wallström’s statement was in response to a question posed by the Liberal party’s leader Jan Björklund following an earlier debate in parliament when Wallström started talking about extrajudicial executions without mentioning Israel. Everyone understood that she was referring to Israel, and this caused strong reactions from the Israeli government. Wallström stated that she had not spoken specifically about Israel.
Now she brought up the suspicions of extrajudicial killings being trumpeted in the media by the High Commissioner and by human rights organizations. Björklund criticized Wallström’s general attitude toward Israel, where she is currently persona non grata.
Sweden used to have a balanced approach to the Israelis and Palestinians in the conflict, according to Björklund, but during Margot Wallström’s time in the foreign office Swedish rhetoric and action on the conflict have become much more one-sided, and are perceived to be anti-Israeli.
The foreign minister rejected this notion, saying, “I am against any attempt to portray Sweden, the government, or me as the enemy of Israel. We are Israel’s friend and the Palestinians’ friend and both states have the right to exist.”
She didn’t suggest that the Palestinians should consider not running out with knives quite so much.