A picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing above destroyed buildings in the background during Israeli bombardment in the besieged Palestinian territory on May 22, 2025. Photo: Jack Guez / AFP / Lehtikuva
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Members of the Finnish Parliament have reported receiving an unusually high volume of messages from the public ahead of a scheduled debate on the Gaza war. The debate, set for Thursday afternoon, follows months of growing tension both in the region and in Finland’s domestic political landscape.
Christian Democrat MP Päivi Räsänen said she has received hundreds of messages daily. Writing on Facebook, she described the correspondence as part of a “massive, orchestrated campaign” characterised by leftist rhetoric and, in some cases, antisemitic content.
“There is no concern over Hamas’s actions, but Israel is condemned repeatedly,” Räsänen stated. She said that many of the messages appear to be copied and edited form letters, tailored to each recipient. Räsänen also claimed to have received direct personal insults.
Christian Democrat parliamentary group chair Peter Östman estimated he had received around one hundred messages per day on the topic.
The debate was initiated by Left Alliance MP Mai Kivelä, who confirmed a surge in messages asking Finland to act in support of Gazan civilians. “These messages are personal and signed, not anonymous. They come from people who are shocked by what is happening,” she told Helsingin Sanomat.
The Parliament’s Gaza discussion follows a broader shift in Finland’s foreign policy discourse after Israel’s government declared its intention to take full control of Gaza and forcibly transfer the population. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, President Alexander Stubb, and Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen have condemned the move, with Stubb labelling forced displacement a war crime.
Speaking in Rauma on Wednesday, Orpo insisted the government was united on Gaza: “Our position is clear. Humanitarian aid must enter Gaza immediately. There must be a ceasefire, hostages must be released, and peace talks must begin with a two-state solution in mind.”
However, divisions persist within the four-party coalition. The Finns Party and Christian Democrats have refrained from explicitly endorsing the state leadership’s position. Jani Mäkelä, head of the Finns Party parliamentary group, said the information from the region was “fragmented and possibly biased.” Christian Democrat leader and Minister of Agriculture Sari Essayah has avoided comment altogether.
Valtonen said Wednesday that the government supports, in principle, the possibility of EU sanctions against Israeli ministers who have made inflammatory statements about Gaza. She was responding to a Swedish proposal for such measures.
The debate in Parliament comes amid wider pressure on Finnish leadership. More than 1,600 researchers have signed a petition urging Finland to recognise Palestinian statehood and to take “all reasonable measures to prevent genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza.” The petition was coordinated by University of Helsinki sociologist Lena Näre and Stockholm University economist Markus Jäntti.
The researchers cited Israel’s plan to take over the entire Gaza Strip and force the population into third countries as evidence of war crimes. Näre said the scale of academic support was unprecedented and reflected a broader sense of moral obligation.
“We couldn’t just watch the war crimes unfold in silence,” she said.
President Stubb, Prime Minister Orpo and Valtonen released a joint statement earlier this week denouncing the humanitarian conditions in Gaza and calling for immediate aid access. The statement described population transfers as illegal and urged both sides to stop hostilities and begin negotiations.
The upcoming parliamentary session will follow a motion submitted by 38 opposition MPs last November. It calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, unrestricted humanitarian aid, and for Finland to assess how it could better support civilians in Gaza and help prevent regional escalation.
While there is consensus on the need to address the humanitarian crisis, parties remain divided on how to proceed. Green Party chair Sofia Virta has demanded an immediate end to arms trade with Israel. Left Alliance chair Minja Koskela called for direct sanctions against Israeli officials and recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Social Democratic Party chair Antti Lindtman criticised the government’s overall response as weak. Education Minister Anders Adlercreutz, leader of the Swedish People’s Party, has also publicly supported recognising Palestine.
Valtonen acknowledged on Wednesday that internal government differences exist, particularly over which elements of the conflict to prioritise. “Some want to highlight Hamas’s attacks and the hostage crisis, others focus first on the humanitarian disaster,” she said.
The parliamentary debate is scheduled to begin at 16:00 and will feature statements from MPs across the political spectrum as well as a response from Valtonen.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
