Anders Gunnar Hökmark is a Swedish politician who was a European Parliament member from 2004 until 2019. He is a member of the Moderate Party, the European People’s Party domain. From 2003 to 2012, Gunnar Hökmark was chairman of the Sweden-Israel Friendship Association, and between 2006 and 2011, he was chairman of European Friends of Israel. He is considered a pro-Israel politician.
Once, he expressed that Sweden’s recognition of Palestine in 2014 was already a great mistake owing to the recent Hamas attack on Israel. Even then, the recognition executed counter to primary conditions for a state to have authority over its territory. It was a symbolic act that legitimized the war against Israel rather than applying the foundations for peace. According to him, Israel, there is no room to be surprised by the barbarism that intimidates its people. The price was high this time, and risks were even higher for both Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza.
Recently, he said, “The Swedish left must stop placing the blame for Hamas massacres on Israel. Debate Hamas’s attack on Israel was the prelude to a few days when the logic of the Holocaust once again hit the world.”
Further, he expressed that no Swedish severe Middle East policy can turn a blind eye to this threat in the future. The threat against Jews in Israel and, ultimately, Israel’s existence has a clear connection with the hatred and threats that are now directed against Jews in Sweden. It is only through a foreign policy that draws the line against anti-Semitism and hatred of Israel there that we can draw lines here.
Former MEP often emphasizes the challenges and dangers faced by Israel in the Middle East, stressing the contrast between Israel’s democratic values and the oppressive regimes in the region.
