Swedish scholars urge immediate severance of ties with Israel over escalating abuses

In a debate article, Nina Gren, lecturer in social anthropology at Lund University, and Helena Lindholm, professor of peace and development research at Göteborgs universitet, demand that Sweden immediately terminate all trade and weapons agreements with Israel and resume funding for UNRWA. They reference a prior warning that Israeli policies risk annexation and ethnic cleansing, and note the Swedish government's recent, limited step to impose trade restrictions on West Bank settlers alongside other Western nations.

The authors describe ongoing atrocities in Gaza, including mass burials, blocked aid, and destroyed infrastructure, as well as a sharp rise in West Bank violence—322 Palestinians killed since January 2025, the killing of a baby, detention of doctors and journalists, and forced displacement of thousands. They cite a new Knesset law allowing death penalties for Palestinians and a B’tselem report labeling the settlement project an intensified "elimination project." Concluding, they urge the incoming Swedish administration to adopt policies rooted in human-rights conventions, sanctions, and moral responsibility.