The suspended Swedish support for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) creates hot emotions in Swedish politics.
S leader Magdalena Andersson is sharply critical of Sweden not having resumed support.
It is the only organisation that has the capacity required to get out the emergency aid, she says.
”Directly incorrect”
But S leader in a debate article in SvD at the weekend claimed that Sweden is the only EU country that does not give support to Unrwa has got both Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M) and Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa (M) to react strongly, and accuse the Social Democrats of lying.
It is directly incorrect, it is five other EU countries that do not give support to Unrwa, and it is three of the countries that gave support in 2023 but did not give support in 2024. It involves, among other things, Slovakia and Croatia, says Malmer Stenergard to TT, without specifying which of the three other countries are.
In an email to TT, Unrwa's press service writes that the five EU countries that did not give the organisation any support last year were Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Croatia.
Unlike Sweden, however, none of the countries had a multi-year financing agreement with Unrwa since then, according to the press service. Therefore, according to Unrwa, it cannot be said that they stopped their support.
”Sweden was previously a donor to Unrwa and publicly announced that it would stop financing the organisation in 2025. This makes Sweden the only EU country in that position,” writes the press service further.
”Doubled support”
After Wednesday's party leader debate in the Riksdag, Magdalena Andersson says that she thinks Sweden should join the line that other Western countries have followed regarding the UN agency.
Now we stand with the same gang as Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu and Viktor Orbán. That's not where Sweden should stand, now it's time for Sweden to drop its pride, she says.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) does not rule out that the support can be resumed, but at the same time rejects the criticism.
The left-wing opposition claims that we do not support the civilian population in Gaza. We have doubled the support and give it to organisations that just now have a better chance of getting through, he says.
Johanna Ekström/TT
Sweden and Unrwa
TT
In 2024, Sweden gave 451 million kronor to Unrwa, but in December the same year, the government announced that the support would be discontinued. This since Israel's government has forbidden Unrwa from operating in Gaza.
At the same time, the total support to Gaza was doubled, but via other aid organisations that, according to the government, have a better chance of getting through. Including the World Food Programme and the Red Cross.
Bilateral aid agency Sida made in May this year the assessment that Unrwa still has a significant operational activity in Gaza. According to Sida, the organisation, despite being affected by Israel's ban, "has a special status in the humanitarian response" among other things due to its large staff presence on site.
Source: TT, Sida, government office.
