Zinia Stamet, a Danish politician and parliamentarian, wrote that she had just returned from a week-long field trip to Israel and Palestine organized by the Danish Council of Churches. The field visit concluded with an absolutely extraordinary experience. She added “We met with the director of political affairs at the Israeli Foreign Ministry, who will become the next ambassador to Israel in Denmark. We discussed the situation in the Middle East, but at the end of the meeting he changed the subject and began attacking the updates I write on Facebook in Danish. “

She added that “it is unusual for a diplomat to argue with a politician from abroad, showing how sensitive the Israeli government is to foreign and foreign criticism, and as it appears that Israelis tend to believe they can intimidate critics and push them to silence. But it does not work for me and I will not be silenced. I have seen systematic and deliberate violations of international law during the past week and intend to speak out and expose these violations, even though I know that the Israeli government is watching me in what I write and publish.”

“We often hear that the Israeli government uses the term ‘security considerations’ to justify its policies, but one thing has now become clear to it. Israel is making regular efforts to push Palestinians out of large areas of the occupied territories. Israel is in the process of colonizing the areas that were intended to become a Palestinian state. The word security is a thin layer of varnish used by Israel to cover that policy. “

The Danish parliamentarian gave four examples of what Israel is doing to the Palestinians, as she herself saw during her visit to the Palestinian territories.