In Stockholm, a new survey shows something striking: seven of Sweden's eight parliamentary parties agree that their country should do far more to hold Israel accountable for alleged abuses in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. That is a remarkable level of political agreement on a deeply divisive issue.
The survey was released by six civil society groups — Act Church of Sweden, Amnesty International Sweden, Diakonia, Human Rights Watch, the Swedish Fellowship of Reconciliation, and the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society — ahead of Sweden's September 13, 2026 general election. They asked every party in the Riksdag, Sweden's parliament, where it stood on Sweden's obligations under international law, drawing on the UN Genocide Convention, two advisory opinions by the International Court of Justice, and International Criminal Court arrest warrants for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Every single party that answered said Sweden should enforce the ICC arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and should support targeted European Union sanctions. All seven also backed stronger action.
"Ukrainians, Syrians, and Palestinians should not be treated any differently," the message implies — and the survey suggests much of Sweden agrees. Four parties went even further, backing a national ban on trade with illegal settlements, suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, and restoring core funding for UNRWA, the UN agency that supports Palestinian refugees.
The survey reveals a clear divide, though. The opposition parties support those bolder steps, while the governing coalition has been more cautious. On the most contested issue — halting arms imports and exports — the parties hold such different positions that Swedish policy could shift significantly depending on the election result.
The Sweden Democrats, the country's second-largest party, did not respond at all. The party has publicly opposed suspending the EU-Israel trade agreement and called for an end to all funding for Palestinian organizations.
For advocates, the survey is a sign of hope. "This survey provides important information from the Swedish parliamentary parties on the steps Sweden needs to take to address grave human rights concerns with the Israeli government," said Christina Abdulahad, advocacy officer at Human Rights Watch. "It is crucial for Sweden's next government, whatever its composition, to bring Swedish policy in line with its international legal obligations."
Erik Lysén, director of Act Church of Sweden, stressed how much common ground exists. He noted it is encouraging that several parties want a national ban on trade with the settlements, matching what several other European countries have already done.
"Upholding international law is not a matter of the right or the left, but is about taking responsibility for common rules that protect people, prevent conflicts, and safeguard an international order based on justice rather than power," Lysén said. With an election approaching)Skip: the coming months will show whether Sweden turns that broad agreement into law.