Denmark’s Role in International Law and Israeli-Palestinian Coexistence

Denmark’s Role in International Law and Israeli-Palestinian Coexistence

posted on: Nov 13, 2024

By: Uffe Gjerding / Arab America Contributing Writer

Arab America contributing writer, Uffe Gjerding, explores Denmark’s crucial role in advocating for peace and international law amidst the ongoing war in Gaza. With a forthcoming seat on the UN Security Council and an upcoming EU chairmanship, Denmark will have a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact. Uffe will also highlight the grassroots movements emerging across the country, as citizens unite to urge their leaders to take meaningful action for Palestinian rights. Join Uffe in reflecting on how Denmark can uphold its proud legacy as a champion of democracy and human rights.

Denmark’s Values

Denmark, with a population of merely 6 million, is a small country with a proud history. We are proud of our Viking heritage and of having saved almost all 7,000 Danish Jews from German annihilation in 1944 by smuggling them to neutral Sweden. Therefore, Denmark has always been a staunch supporter of Israel as a social-welfare state, whose initial vision aligned well with our own social-democratic welfare-state model.

As proponents of democracy, human rights, and advocates for peace, we, as a small country, have always been keenly aware of the importance of international law and the UN institutions established to ensure the peaceful resolution of conflicts and the universal adherence to international law.

Denmark’s Unique Opportunity

The question today is whether we can still uphold this proud history and self-image if we do not act more proactively in support of the suffering Palestinian people. In the very near future, we have special opportunities to demonstrate our solidarity and concern, even as a small country. Starting in January 2025, Denmark will hold a seat on the UN Security Council for two years, and in the second half of 2025, we will assume the chairmanship of the European Union, granting us access to influence we do not usually possess.

To raise awareness among Danish politicians, influencers, and media about the importance of seizing these opportunities, we established a Middle East Network in August 2024. This network includes prominent former politicians—such as Mogens Lykketoft, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of the UN General Assembly in 2015-16—along with academics, authors, journalists, and church leaders.

This group of 17 individuals drafted a statement on Denmark’s policy positions on the ongoing war in Gaza and the occupation of the West Bank, aiming to remind politicians of our values and how little we have done to uphold them. We must ask ourselves: how can Denmark contribute to promoting coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians? What happens in Palestine has repercussions not only for the entire region but also for our international credibility and the safeguarding of international law and institutions.

More recently, the group also issued a statement in response to Israel’s decision to ban UNRWA. The network is fortunate to count among its members Peter Hansen, former Commissioner-General of UNRWA (1996–2005).

Key Issues

Among the main issues the Network is promoting are:

• A call on the Danish government to intensify its efforts to promote respect for the United Nations and compliance with international conventions, with a current focus on the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024.
• Denmark’s recognition of a Palestinian state based on already adopted UN General Assembly resolutions.
• Increased Danish support for the UN’s organization for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
• Active Danish efforts, as an EU member, to prevent the European Neighbourhood Policy and the EU-Israel Partnership from being misused to support economic activity and production in Israeli settlements.
• That Denmark, as a signatory to the Human Rights Convention, the Genocide Convention, and the Geneva Conventions, refrain from any actions—including the sale of weapons—that directly or indirectly facilitate the killing of Palestinian or Israeli civilians.

These are all issues on which the Danish government and the EU have repeatedly issued statements, yet so far, little or no effective action has been taken—even though we have the necessary tools to act within the EU and UN institutions.

Demonstrations and Solidarity

While we wait impatiently for our politicians to act, people have been taking to the streets in great numbers since October 7, 2023. Every single Saturday—and even in between—thousands have been demonstrating in Copenhagen and other major cities across Denmark. In the “All on the Street for a Free Palestine” movement, Danes of Middle Eastern background join hands with groups like Amnesty, “Jews for a Just Peace,” “Church People for Peace,” and others to express their anger and impatience with politicians reluctant to take action.

Awareness is also growing in churches, high schools, and universities that injustice has been done to the Palestinian people for decades, and that the events of October 7 did not occur in a vacuum. This resilience (sumud) may be where we, as Danes, can reclaim our pride as promoters of international law and peaceful conflict resolution. It also offers an opportunity to foster peaceful coexistence between different peoples and cultures in our own society, where forces of polarization have been inflamed by some politicians and media in recent years.

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