Week 20: Sweden's application for NATO membership arouses opposition

The fact that Turkey has demanded that Sweden extradite about 20 Kurds in order for Sweden's NATO application to be accepted has created debate. Among other things, several left-wing parties demand a guarantee from Foreign Minister Ann Linde (S) that no Kurds will be extradited. Photo: NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Source: Flickr.

Of: Elise Olsson and Idun Eklind

Sweden's now submitted NATO application and Swedish arms exports have been high on the agenda in the past week. A potential Swedish NATO membership has aroused both criticism and opposition. Partly because the decision was not voted on by the Swedish people, partly because the application has not been welcomed by Turkey.

May 23, 2022, Current debate

Week 2: The NATO issue is brought to the forefront with Russia's demands for a sphere of interest

The question of whether Sweden should maintain its security policy line or adopt a so-called NATO option has divided the Swedish debate over the past week. Photo: Canva.

Of: Andreas Klawitter and Beata Sjödahl

The NATO issue has once again become highly topical after the deteriorating security situation in Europe and the Swedish debate has centered on the adoption of a NATO option. The Church Board's investigation of Israel and the crisis in Bosnia has also been the subject of last week's debate.

January 17, 2022, Current debate

That is why many Palestinians do not believe in a two-state solution

Two police officers arrest a 14-year-old boy despite being in a grocery store during a clash between Palestinians and Israeli police. Photo: Carl Bradshaw.

Of: Carl Bradshaw

How long should one stick to a strategy that overturns rather than helps? Among Palestinians in the West Bank, few believe in a two-state solution, and the Oslo Accords are seen as a tool for Israeli annexation rather than peace.

January 14, 2022, Guest chronicle

Peace begins with meeting as human beings

Israeli settler Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger (left) and Palestinian peace activist Khaled Abu Awwad (right) share a vision to bring more people together. Photo: Ebba Åkerman.

Of: Ebba Åkerman

"Go home as a strong supporter of Palestine. Go home as a strong supporter of Israel. Go home as a strong supporter for a solution. To support both peoples is to support peace ”. The call comes from Rabbi Schlesinger - a former New York resident, Israeli settler, peace activist and co-founder of the organization Roots.

January 13, 2022, Guest chronicle

Therefore, Palestinian friends should define anti-Semitism

Protesters criticizing Israel are not anti-Semites according to the IHRA's definition of anti-Semitism. Photo: Humbleslave / Flickr.

Of: Carl Bradshaw

Anyone who wants to contribute to a lasting peace between Palestine and Israel should support the IHRA's definition of anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism also exists in Palestine and among so-called Palestinian friends, and needs to be discussed in order to combat it. Only when criticism of Israel is free from anti-Semitism is it legitimate and effective. It writes Carl Bradshaw, who has stayed with the Ecumenical Companion Program in Jerusalem and in the village of Yanoun on the West Bank.

January 12, 2022, Debate

When will Palestinian children be able to go to school in peace and security?

The children at the school between the villages of as-Sawyia and al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, the West Bank, meet heavily armed soldiers on the way to school every day. This is what such a day can look like. Photo: Fanny Lingqvist.

Of: Fanny Lingqvist

Every day when the children go to school along the highway, they are met by heavily armed soldiers. Some days the soldiers aim their weapons at the children, other days they block the way to school. On particularly bad days, children are arrested and abducted in military vehicles, often in front of their schoolmates or family members who are desperately trying to get them released.

January 11, 2022, Guest chronicle

Week 48: Vaccination distribution and apartheid review provoke reactions

- With a constantly mutating virus, it is important that everyone can take part in the vaccine. But that is not the case today, Zina Al-Dewany writes on Aftonbladet Ledare about the vaccine distribution in the world.

Of: Elin Holm and Julia Lundén Azzeddine

Sweden can do more to give more people access to vaccines, according to Zina Al-Dewany on Aftonbladet's editorial pages. The Church of Sweden's review of international law in Israel-Palestine was also discussed on Swedish debate pages during the past week.

December 6, 2021, Current debate