COPENHAGEN: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Saturday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become “a problem,” vowing to push for stronger pressure on Israel over the war in Gaza as Denmark currently holds the EU presidency.
“Netanyahu is now a problem in himself,” Frederiksen told the daily Jyllands-Posten, accusing the Israeli government of going “too far.”
She condemned the “absolutely appalling and catastrophic” humanitarian situation in Gaza as well as Israel’s decision to expand settlement projects in the occupied West Bank.
Frederiksen said Copenhagen was among the countries seeking tougher measures against Israel, though consensus among EU members had yet to be achieved. She added that Denmark wanted to explore “political pressure, sanctions, whether against settlers, ministers, or even Israel as a whole,” including options such as trade or research restrictions.
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“We are not ruling anything out in advance. Just as with Russia, we are designing sanctions to target where we believe they will have the greatest effect,” she stressed.
Denmark is not among the European states that have formally recognized a Palestinian state, but Frederiksen said her government intends to keep up pressure on Israel at the EU level.