Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that while her country condemned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, she did not support recognizing a Palestinian state at this time.
In a Saturday Facebook post, the Danish leader stated that “recognizing Palestine here and now will not help the thousands of children currently fighting for their survival, no matter how much one might wish it.”
Frederiksen called Netanyahu “a problem in and of himself” and said that his “ongoing and extremely violent conduct” was unacceptable.
While Frederiksen said she supported Israel and its right to defend itself, she also added that the level of “human suffering is incomprehensible.”
Denmark supports a two-state solution, PM says
She noted that Denmark supports the establishment of a Palestinian state, as it has “always been part of the two-state solution that we believe is the way forward.”
“But we have an obligation to ensure that the recognition of Palestine promotes the right outcome,” she added.
“It should happen at a time when it genuinely advances a two-state solution, and when a sustainable and democratic state in Palestine can be secured without the influence of Hamas. And of course, it must happen with mutual recognition of Israel.”
She told Danish daily Jyllands-Posten that she would work to put greater economic pressure on Israel.
“We are not ruling anything out in advance. Just as with Russia, we build sanctions in a way where we look at where we believe they will have the greatest effect. We are one of the countries that will put additional pressure on Israel, but so far, we have not been able to gain support from the EU circle.”