The Finnish Foreign Ministry has summoned the Israeli ambassador for questioning about the Israeli army's use of fire on Wednesday. The Israeli Defence Forces opened fire while diplomats were visiting the occupied West Bank. The delegation included Finns.
Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen (NCP) said that Finland demands an explanation from Israel for this "serious, reprehensible incident". According to the ministry, it has also raised Finland's concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza with the ambassador.
Several other European countries on Thursday condemned the incident, with Italy and France also summoning Israeli ambassadors to explain what happened, Reuters reports.
The Israeli military said the delegation had "deviated from the approved route and entered an area where they were not authorised to be" and that soldiers fired "warning shots to distance them away." No injuries or damage were reported.
Orpo: No dispute over Gaza within cabinet
Earlier in the week, Valtonen joined President Alexander Stubb and Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) in social media posts condemning Israeli actions regarding Gaza. However there have been doubts as to whether all the government parties backed the stance.
On Thursday, Orpo said that no one in the government had disputed its position on Gaza. Speaking to reporters in Parliament, he said he had sent the statement to the chairs of the governing parties, and that it did not arouse any discussion.
However, Jani Mäkelä, the chair of the Finns Party parliamentary group, told the news agency STT on Wednesday that he did not fully endorse the state position, saying he would "rather see how things progress".
On Thursday, the Finns Party chair, Finance Minister Riikka Purra, said that she does "not disagree" with the Gaza statement. She told reporters in Parliament that she was informed of the foreign policy leaders’ position in advance, but not asked to sign off on it.
The chair of a smaller government party, traditionally pro-Israel Christian Democrats leader Sari Essayah, refused to answer when asked by reporters on Wednesday whether she agrees with the official stance on Israel.
Meanwhile the leader of the fourth government party, Swedish People’s Party chair Anders Adlercreutz, has called for Finland to go further by recognising Palestinian statehood.
MPs debate Israel policy
A heated debate was expected in Parliament on Thursday evening as MPs weighed how Finland should react to the drastically worsening situation in Gaza.
Antti Lindtman, chair of the main opposition Social Democratic Party, asked the government whether Finland is ready to recognise the state of Palestine in June along with other EU countries.
Finland has not done so, unlike its Nordic neighbours Norway and Sweden.
