Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said today (Saturday) that her Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu represents “a problem in himself,” affirming her desire to use her country’s presidency of the European Union to increase pressure on Israel. In an interview with the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, she said, “Netanyahu has become a problem in himself,” adding that his government “has crossed the line.” The leader of the Social Democratic Party lamented the “horrific and catastrophic” humanitarian situation in Gaza and condemned a new plan to build settlement units in the West Bank. She said, “We are among the countries wishing to increase pressure on Israel, but we have not yet received support from EU members.” She clarified that the goal is to impose “political pressure and sanctions, whether against settlers, ministers, or even Israel as a whole,” referring to trade or research sanctions.

Frederiksen, whose country does not intend to recognize a Palestinian state, noted: “We do not exclude anything in advance. As with Russia, we will design sanctions to target what we believe will have the greatest impact.”