Measures against settlers on the West Bank

The plan's decisive commitment is that international law shall be defended and deepened and that Sweden shall be a voice for peace and justice in the world. The settlements are violations of international law, and the counter-proposal's demand for sanctions, import bans and national legislation is precisely such a consistent application of international law that the plan binds the party to. The plan gives no support for remaining within existing EU policy.

• defend international lawdecisive»Folkrätten behöver försvaras« (party programme ↗)“International law needs to be defended”
• counter violations of international law»Genom FN får även små länder en röst och starka militärmakters brott mot internationell lag kan uppmärksammas och motverkas.« (party programme ↗)“Through the UN even small countries gain a voice and powerful military powers' violations of international law can be highlighted and countered.”
• voice for peace and justice»Vänsterpartiet anser att Sverige ska vara en röst för fred och rättvisa, inte för ökad militarisering.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Left Party holds that Sweden shall be a voice for peace and justice, not for increased militarization.”
• international solidarity»Därför är vi en rörelse som sätter den internationella solidariteten högt på dagordningen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Therefore we are a movement that places international solidarity high on the agenda.”

The plan makes defence of international law and the rules-based world order a central principle of foreign policy and requires more forceful joint foreign policy for the EU. The counter-proposal's demands for expanded sanctions against the settler movement and stop for settler goods are measures to uphold precisely the international law the plan says it defends. The election manifesto also binds the party to trade policy being guided by human rights.

• defence of international lawdecisive»Försvar för folkrätten och en regelbaserad världsordning.« (party programme ↗)“Defence of international law and a rules-based world order.”
• forceful joint EU foreign policy»Mer kraftfull gemensam utrikes- och säkerhetspolitik för EU för att bidra till ökad« (party programme ↗)“More forceful joint foreign and security policy for the EU to contribute to increased”
• trade guided by human rights»EU behöver sluta fler handelsavtal där också våra värderingar om social dialog, mänskliga rättigheter och miljö är vägledande.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The EU needs to conclude more trade agreements where our values of social dialogue, human rights and environment are also guiding.”
• solidarity with oppressed peoples»I en lång tradition står socialdemokratin i solidaritet med förtryckta folk som förvägras« (party programme ↗)“In a long tradition social democracy stands in solidarity with oppressed peoples denied”

The party programme explicitly states that Sweden should consistently act for Israel's occupation to cease, which is the core of the counter-proposal's demands for sanctions and trade restrictions against the settlements. The programme furthermore demands increased accountability for violations of international law and that trade policy is used as a tool for human rights. This bears the counter-proposal's demands for sharper action than the existing EU line.

• the occupation should ceasedecisive»Israels ockupation upphör, så att en rättvis och hållbar fred kan åstadkommas.« (party programme ↗)“Israel's occupation ceases, so that a just and sustainable peace can be achieved.”
• accountability for international law violations»och verka för att öka ansvarsutkrävandet för brott mot folkrätten« (party programme ↗)“and work to increase accountability for violations of international law”
• trade policy as human rights tool»fattigdomsbekämpning, främjande av mänskliga rättigheter, fredliga samarbeten,« (party programme ↗)“poverty reduction, promotion of human rights, peaceful cooperation,”
• the world must intervene»Omvärldens oförmåga att ingripa mot Israels folkmord i Gaza har allvarligt skadat« (party programme ↗)“The world's inability to intervene against Israel's genocide in Gaza has seriously damaged”

The party programme makes the protection of universal human freedoms and rights the ultimate aim of foreign policy and states that trade must take ethical perspectives into account. The election manifesto wants to set stricter requirements on working conditions and environment in trade agreements. Sharper measures against a violation of international humanitarian law settlement policy follows from this, even though the party's free trade line speaks against unilateral national trade bans. The plan therefore supports the counter-proposal, but weakly.

• human rights guide foreign policydecisive»Utrikes- och säkerhetspolitiken syftar ytterst till att värna universella mänskliga fri- och rättigheter.« (party programme ↗)“Foreign and security policy ultimately aims to protect universal human freedoms and rights.”
• conditional trade policy»Ställ hårdare krav på arbetsvillkor, miljö och klimat i handelsavtal.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Set stricter requirements on working conditions, environment and climate in trade agreements.”
• ethical considerations in trade»Hänsyn måste tas till etiska och miljömässiga perspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“Attention must be paid to ethical and environmental perspectives.”
• free trade as fundamental principle»Sverige klarar sig inte utan frihandel.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden cannot get by without free trade.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The counter-proposal demands national legislation against trade in goods from settlements and other unilateral trade barriers. The plan's defining commitment is to strengthen the EU as a free trade union and work for tariffs and trade barriers to be dismantled, while the sanctions regime the plan explicitly pursues is directed at Russia. The plan at the same time demands that the EU's agreements with neighbouring countries contain human rights requirements, which makes the assessment uncertain.

• free trade and internal marketdecisive»Vi ska stärka EU som frihandelsunion med en fördjupad inre marknad, värna den fria rörligheten i Europa och verka för fler frihandelsavtal med omvärlden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We shall strengthen the EU as a free trade union with a deepened internal market, protect free movement in Europe and work for more free trade agreements with the outside world.”
• dismantle trade barriers»EU ska helt avskaffa tullar och andra handelshinder mot« (party programme ↗)“The EU shall completely abolish tariffs and other trade barriers against”
• human rights requirements in neighbourhood agreements»EU:s grannskapsavtal med unionens grannar söderut måste innehålla samma krav på« (party programme ↗)“The EU's neighbourhood agreements with the union's southern neighbours must contain the same demands for”
• values-driven foreign policy»Målet med vår utrikespolitik är en friare värld för alla.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The goal of our foreign policy is a freer world for all.”

The plan's decisive commitment on method is that positive means - support, cooperation projects and dialogue - shall be used in the first instance, and that boycott and sanctions may become relevant only as a last resort. The counter-proposal requires instead broad sanctions, import stops and national trade legislation now. Even though the plan stands behind human rights as a foreign policy main goal, its method order and free trade line argue against that escalation.

• sanctions as a last resortdecisive»Som en sista utväg kan bojkott och sanktioner bli aktuella.« (party programme ↗)“As a last resort, boycott and sanctions may become relevant.”
• positive means first»i första hand positiva verkningsmedel användas« (party programme ↗)“in the first instance positive means are used”
• human rights as main goal»rättigheter ska vara ett huvudmål för utrikespolitiken« (party programme ↗)“rights shall be a main goal of foreign policy”
• bilateral HR dialogue»En dialog om mänskliga rättigheter bör även föras bilateralt med enskilda länder.« (party programme ↗)“A dialogue on human rights should also be conducted bilaterally with individual countries.”

The documents say nothing about Israel and Palestine. The nearest-lying principle is that Swedish foreign policy shall protect Swedish interests and that trade matters are handled jointly within the EU, while the plan wants to deepen the internal market and facilitate trade. A national trade embargo and withdrawn visa freedom alongside the joint EU policy goes against that line, so the plan does not support the counter-proposal's demands.

• Swedish interests guideweak support»Svensk utrikespolitik ska värna svenska intressen.« (party programme ↗)“Swedish foreign policy shall protect Swedish interests.”
• trade handled in EUdecisive»EU:s fokus ska ligga på att lösa problem som Sverige inte kan hantera ensamt, till exempel handel, klimat, migration och säkerhet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“EU's focus shall be on solving problems that Sweden cannot handle alone, for example trade, climate, migration and security.”
• deepened internal market»• Fördjupa den inre marknaden, inte minst för tjänster och digitala produkter« (2022 manifesto ↗)“• Deepen the internal market, not least for services and digital products”
• free trade facilitated»underlätta för handel och internationalisering.« (party programme ↗)“facilitate trade and internationalisation.”

flags: citat_svagt

The plan's decisive foreign policy commitment is that relations with Israel should be re-established and maintained, and the sanctions the plan advocates are directed at Turkey, Belarus, Russia and other countries with negative development. The counter-proposal's demands for expanded sanctions, import bans and national legislation against goods related to settlements go directly contrary to this and to the plan's fundamental stance on free trade. Foreign policy should, according to the plan, protect Swedish interests.

• maintain relations with Israeldecisive»Relationen till Israel, som den enda demokratin i sin region, bör återupprättas och vårdas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Relations with Israel, as the only democracy in its region, should be re-established and maintained.”
• sanctions against authoritarian states»Sverige bör verka för tydliga sanktioner mot Turkiet, Belarus, Ryssland och andra länder med en negativ utveckling.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden should work for clear sanctions against Turkey, Belarus, Russia and other countries with negative development.”
• Swedish interests first»Värna svenska intressen i internationella sammanhang« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Protect Swedish interests in international contexts”
• free trade as starting point»Sverigedemokraterna är i grunden positiva till frihandel« (party programme ↗)“Sweden Democrats are fundamentally positive about free trade”