Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “a problem,” pledging to push for stronger European Union pressure on Israel over its ongoing war in Gaza and settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.
“Netanyahu is now a problem in himself,” Frederiksen said in an interview with the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten. She warned that Israel’s government was going “too far,” citing what she called the “absolutely appalling and catastrophic” humanitarian crisis in Gaza, along with a controversial new settlement project in the West Bank.
Frederiksen, a center-right leader whose country currently holds the EU presidency, said Denmark was among the nations advocating for tougher measures. “We are one of the countries that wants to increase pressure on Israel, but we have not yet obtained the support of EU members,” she explained.
Possible EU Sanctions on Israel
The Danish prime minister noted that potential actions under consideration included political pressure and sanctions, not only against settlers and government ministers but “even Israel as a whole.” Measures could extend to trade restrictions or research cooperation.
“We are not ruling anything out in advance. Just as with Russia, we are designing the sanctions to target where we believe they will have the greatest effect,” Frederiksen said.
While Denmark has not joined the European nations that recently recognized a Palestinian state, Frederiksen emphasized that Copenhagen is prepared to escalate diplomatic pressure if the humanitarian toll continues to mount.
Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
The conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched a surprise assault on Israel, killing 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has since killed more than 61,430 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry. The United Nations continues to cite those numbers as credible.
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