Wants Pressure Put On US Over Gaza

The Left-Green Party has called upon the Icelandic government to put pressure on the United States over the current situation in Gaza.

Vísir reports that parliament’s Left-Green MPs have sent a request to Foreign Affairs Committee chairperson Birgir Ármannsson to convene a special session to discuss the issue, despite parliament currently being on summer vacation.

“We believe there is every reason for the committee to meet, in light of the fact that the situation in Palestine is serious, and getting more serious with each passing day,” Left-Green parliamentary chairperson Svandís Svavarsdóttir told reporters. “We believe the right thing to do is for Iceland to apply pressure in this situation. Not just on the parties in dispute, but also not least of all on the United States, whether it’s through our ambassador in the US or here at home.”

While Birgir has not responded to the request to convene the committee at the time of this writing, there is considerable public support in Iceland for Palestinians. Earlier this week, some 1,700 Icelanders attended a protest demonstration condemning the Israeli government’s attacks on Gaza. Minister of Foreign Affairs Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson has publicly spoken out against the conflict, calling upon the United Nations to intevene.

In 2011, Iceland became the first western country to recognise Palestine as a sovereign state.