On May 30, 2024, Finland’s minister for foreign trade and development, Ville Tavio, made a statement that Finland should continue its trade with Israel despite the ongoing genocide in Gaza, Palestine. Even after months of Israel’s bombings and ground operations, Finland still sees no reasonable grounds to cease trade relations or impose sanctions on Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
The ever-expanding violence without accountability
Today, it has become clear that Israel has no regard for international law and the resolutions passed by the United Nations condemning its occupation of Palestine areas as illegal. The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor, Karim Khan, has sought arrest warrants on Mr. Netanyahu and Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, on the basis that they bore responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the starvation of civilians as weapons of war and “intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population.” Even with the arrest warrants sought by the ICC prosecutor on Mr. Netanyahu and Gallant, Finland’s government continues to offer unwavering support to Israel and its military forces (IDF).
There is ample evidence that the IDF is committing war crimes against the civilian population in Gaza and the West Bank and has recently expanded its operations to Lebanon. It has launched clandestine operations to indiscriminately impose harm on the civilian population in Lebanon, making it yet another venue for Israeli war crimes.
The UN’s resolution to bring a ceasefire
On September 18, 2024, The United Nations presented a call to all member states to “comply with their obligations under international law and take concrete steps to address Israel’s ongoing presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
The steps Finland has taken to address the situation aren’t entirely clear. Whatever they may be, they should discourage Israel from continuing its offensive in Gaza.
Some other specific steps required from the member states are to “prevent their nationals, companies, and entities under their jurisdiction from engaging in activities that support or sustain Israel’s occupation.”
Governments, organizations, and individuals may engage in unlawful activities. The challenge is to prevent them from doing so, mainly when the government is unwilling to condemn the Israeli government and IDF for their evil deeds and take necessary steps, such as imposing sanctions on the Israeli government and its entities, to support the UN resolution.
Moreover, the resolution urged States “to implement sanctions, such as travel bans and asset freezes, against individuals and entities involved in maintaining Israel’s unlawful presence in the Territory.”
Although it is not clear which individuals should be targeted, it is evident that the “entities” mentioned should include IDF and illegal settlements involved in settler violence in the West Bank.
The EU avoids the responsibility
Although the meeting on August 29, 2024, among the EU’s foreign ministers, was “unofficial,” it could have addressed Israel’s long-standing oppression of Palestinians and illegal occupation of their land. However, the EU’s bias towards issues involving the United States prevented this.
The EU Commission and Parliament avoid addressing the situation publicly and focus on issues closer to Europe. This helps them avoid making any controversial statements that could potentially harm the EU’s relationship with the United States, its main ally. It’s noticeable to anyone, whether they live in Europe or elsewhere, that the EU’s foreign policy statements and decisions are closely coordinated by the U.S. State Department, which portrays the EU as subordinate to the U.S.
Finland has lost its role as a mediator of peace.
The Finnish government’s nonchalant approach raises serious questions about its ability to plan its foreign policy and adequately address foreign crises. There are also significant concerns about the government’s understanding of the gravity of the situation in Gaza and the West Bank and its capacity to shape its foreign policy and stance on humanitarian issues independently.
