Finland's Israel policy might be driven by upcoming elections, expert tells 'Post' - interview

Finland is sending opposing signals on Israel: it is ending a multiyear funding agreement with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees while extending a defense cooperation pact with Israel for another decade.

The UNRWA agreement will expire at the end of this year and will not be renewed. Foreign Trade Minister Ville Tavio said the decision does not reduce Finland's humanitarian assistance to Palestinians because Helsinki will instead contribute to organizations including the World Food Programme.

Finland has also quietly extended a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation with Israel until 2034. The agreement covers research and development, cooperation and defense procurement. Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen approved it in early 2024, but the arrangement was not made public at the time.

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Basically, I think it comes down to domestic politics in Finland and the approaching elections [next April].

The choices appear at odds with Finland's increasingly critical position on Israel's war in Gaza. Helsinki recently signed a statement condemning the E1 settlement project. At the same time, Finland bought Israel's David's Sling air defense system in 2023 for €316 million.

UNRWA funding has already shifted several times. Finland suspended it in January 2024, restored it after reviews found sufficient evidence that the money was not being misused, and has now decided not to extend the current agreement.

Timo Stewart, a Finnish political scientist and senior researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, said the contrast was largely explained by domestic politics and next April's elections. He said Tavio, a member of the right-wing populist Finns Party, controls the development cooperation funds used for UNRWA. The party has long opposed UNRWA and, Stewart said, is "happy to see UNRWA from Israel's perspective."

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happy to see UNRWA from Israel's perspective