In a recent speech at the national congress of the Alternative party, political leader Franciska Rosenkilde condemned Israel’s attack on Hamas and the civilian population in Gaza, but failed to mention Hamas’ attacks on Israel, which was the cause of the ongoing conflict. Rosenkilde, who has been critical of the Danish government’s handling of the situation, argued that it was no longer relevant to condemn Hamas’ actions from October, as these were already well-known and condemned. “It’s been over half a year, it’s hardly news anymore. I have also distanced myself from Hamas’ terrorist attack on October 7, but that’s not what we’re talking about anymore,” Rosenkilde explained after her speech. She focused on Israel’s current actions in Gaza, which she described as a potential genocide on the primarily young and civilian Palestinian population. The conflict, which erupted after Hamas’ attack on October 7, where around 1200 people were killed and 250 were taken as hostages, has so far resulted in nearly 35,000 Palestinian deaths according to Hamas-controlled authorities. Israel has reported that they are facing up to 4000 Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip.
During the congress, delegate Carsten Sohl from Varde praised Rosenkilde’s speech and described it as a turning point for the Alternative party. Criticism of Israel’s actions was also supported by criticism from both Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, although Sohl found their positions ambiguous. This issue has also been a topic of discussion at the annual congress of the Red-Green Alliance (Enhedslisten), where political spokesperson Pelle Dragsted criticized both the brutal war against Gaza’s civilian population and Hamas’ terrorist attacks. Debate and disagreement about Denmark’s political stance in the Israel-Gaza conflict continues both inside and outside parliament.