By David Lega
The Swedish government is now urging the EU to suspend its trade agreement with Israel. The move is presented as a political signal that Israel is not living up to its humanitarian obligations. In reality, however, it risks rewarding Hamas, weakening dialogue, and undermining the prospects for peace.
The suffering in Gaza is heartbreaking. But beyond the war itself, the people of Gaza have lived under Hamas’ violent rule and mismanagement for the past 18 years. While the terrorist group has thrived, ordinary civilians have struggled daily for food, water, and medicine. Cutting trade with Israel will not change this reality. Less trade harms everyone — without improving the lives of a single Palestinian civilian.
The Swedish government’s statement does mention that Hamas must be pressured to release the hostages. But it fails to present any mechanism or demand for how this should happen. No call for a ceasefire from Hamas, no measures against a group that has violated every standard of international law — both in its attacks on Israel and in its brutal repression of its own population. The result is a hollow gesture, a symbolic distancing without any practical consequence.
And it plays straight into Hamas’ hands.
It confirms their strategy: the more suffering, the more international pressure — not on them, but on Israel. The world rewards their refusal to negotiate. This was the exact goal of Hamas’ massacre on October 7. To provoke Israel into a large-scale war, derail any further peace agreements with Arab states, and sever Israel’s ties with the West. By calling for trade sanctions, Sweden walks straight into that trap.
And when, historically, have trade sanctions against democracies produced peace or progress? There is no such example. On the contrary, the Arab countries that truly seek peace — those who signed the Abraham Accords — have increased their trade with Israel since October 2023, believing that stability is built through cooperation, not isolation. These countries all understand Hamas’ aims better than many in the West.
Even the Arab League recently demanded that Hamas leave Gaza immediately. That alone should give pause. These states understand what others still fail to grasp: everything that benefits Hamas harms the Palestinians.
Sweden’s ruling parties now need to take a serious look at who truly benefits from this empty rhetoric — and who gets hurt by it.
David Lega is Senior Advisor for Advocacy at European Jewish Association (EJA) and a former Swedish Member of the European Parliament.