Netanyahu has become ‘a problem,’ says Denmark PM; urges Russia-style sanctions on Israel

Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said on Saturday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become “a problem” and vowed to push the European Union to consider Russia-style sanctions on Israel to help bring the Gaza war to an end amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.

She also made clear that immediate recognition of a Palestinian state would not ease the conflict, even as she reaffirmed Copenhagen’s support for a two-state solution.

In a Facebook post, Frederiksen wrote, “Recognising Palestine here and now is not going to help the thousands of children who are currently fighting for their survival, no matter how much you want it. Instead, we need to increase the pressure on both Israel and Hamas.”

Frederiksen, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, told Jyllands-Posten that Denmark is weighing sanctions “just as with Russia,” designed to “have the greatest effect.” Options under consideration include targeting individual settlers and ministers as well as broader trade and research ties. “We are not ruling anything out in advance,” she said, adding that Denmark is pressing for stronger EU measures but has not yet secured consensus.

The prime minister stressed that Denmark supports the eventual creation of a Palestinian state, but only when conditions allow for what she called a “sustainable and democratic” government free of Hamas influence. Recognition, she added, must also come with “mutual recognition of Israel.”

Criticism of Netanyahu and Israeli policy

A long-time supporter of Israel, Frederiksen argued the country “would be better off without Netanyahu,” accusing his government of acting against Israel’s own interests. She condemned the humanitarian toll of the Gaza war as “absolutely appalling and catastrophic” and criticised settlement expansion and settler violence, including plans for more than 3,000 housing units in the West Bank’s sensitive E1 area.

Reiterating her stance, Frederiksen said Denmark will not join other European states in recognising Palestine “here and now.” In her Facebook post, she stressed that such recognition “will not help the thousands of children currently fighting for their survival,” and warned that Denmark does not wish to “reward” Hamas. Recognition, she insisted, should come only when it truly advances a two-state solution—“when a sustainable and democratic state in Palestine can be secured without the influence of Hamas,” and with mutual recognition of Israel.