Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen: Netanyahu has become a problem
In a statement where she indicated her desire to increase sanctions against Israel, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated, "Netanyahu has become a problem."
İHA
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has made a statement regarding Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip and the ongoing war in the region.
In her statement to the Danish press, Frederiksen said, "(Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu has become a problem," and conveyed that Denmark would strive to increase pressure on Israel during the period it continues to hold the European Union (EU) presidency.
The Danish leader stated that her country has long stood by Israel and is determined to maintain this support, but that Israel would be in a better position without Netanyahu. Frederiksen also said that the current Israeli government is acting against the country's interests and that this is a matter for the Israeli people.
"WE HAVE NOT YET GAINED THE SUPPORT OF OTHER EU MEMBERS"
Frederiksen stated, "We are one of the countries that want to increase the pressure applied to Israel, but we have not yet gained the support of other EU members." Addressing sanctions in the fields of trade and research, the Danish Prime Minister said, "In addition to political pressure, I am considering sanctions against Israeli settlers or ministers, and even against Israel as a whole. We are not ruling anything out yet. Just as with Russia, we are designing sanctions to target areas where we believe they will have the greatest impact."
"THE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN GAZA IS A TOTAL DISASTER"
The Danish leader also commented on the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, describing Israel's ongoing attacks and its use of hunger as a weapon in the region as "absolutely terrible and a total disaster."
"DENMARK DOES NOT WANT TO REWARD HAMAS"
Frederiksen also answered questions regarding whether Denmark would join its Scandinavian neighbors and other European countries in the decision to recognize a Palestinian state, saying, "As long as Hamas controls the majority of the territory of a future Palestinian state, we are not considering doing such a thing. Denmark does not want to reward Hamas."