LONDON: Denmark on Monday called for an end to the Gaza war and expressed readiness to “build on” the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while stopping short of recognizing Palestinian statehood.
Denmark is the only Scandinavian country that has yet to recognize Palestine.
Christina Markus Lassen, the Danish permanent representative to the UN, told the General Assembly: “The keys to recognition of a Palestinian state can no longer lie in the hands of the Israeli government. The Palestinians themselves must become masters of their own destiny.”
Nine countries recognized Palestinian statehood in September: the UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, France, Monaco, Luxembourg, Malta, and most recently San Marino.
“Israel has a right to self-defense, but what’s going on in Gaza right now has nothing to do with self-defense,” Lassen said.
“A man-made famine is spreading. Thousands of civilians are being killed. The humanitarian catastrophe is of unbearable scale. It must be brought to an end immediately ... The war in Gaza needs to stop.”
Copenhagen has been a traditional supporter of Israel, and Danish officials have refrained from depicting what is happening in Gaza as a genocide, a term that several EU and UN officials have used recently.
The two-state solution remains the only solution to lasting peace for two peoples, both deserving of security, both deserving of dignity
Christina Markus Lassen
However, pressure is mounting on the Danish government to use its current presidency of the EU to push Israel to end the war and comply with international humanitarian law.
AkademikerPension, a primary Danish teachers’ pension fund valued at $24 billion, divested its investments in Israel last week.
It is the second Scandinavian fund to do so, following Norway’s sovereign wealth fund — the world’s largest — which withdrew investments in Israeli companies in August.
Lassen said last week’s UN conference on the two-state solution, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, has “clearly demonstrated that the momentum is growing,” and “Denmark is prepared to build on” the initiative.
“The two-state solution remains the only solution to lasting peace for two peoples, both deserving of security, both deserving of dignity,” she added. “We’re witnessing a renewed energy and enthusiasm for peace based on the two-state solution.”
Lassen called for reforming the UN, and endorsed calls for the expansion of the Security Council to improve its effectiveness, noting that “the costs of inaction are felt across the world” in conflicts in Gaza, Haiti, Sudan, Myanmar, the Sahel region and Afghanistan.
“The UN is as essential as ever. Without the UN, the world would be in a much worse state,” she said.
