Sveriges politiska partieroch Israel-Palestinafrågan: En analys av svenska partiers agerande 2006–2021

Abstract

This thesis studies political parties in Sweden and their attitudes toward the Israel-Palestine issue during the period from 2006-2021. The analysis assumes that political parties act strategically, guided by their party goals across different arenas: parliamentary, internal, and electoral. Five key party goals—policy, vote-seeking, position, party cohesion, and international credibility—are used to analyze the strategic behavior of these parties. The Israel-Palestine issue holds strategic relevance for several political parties. Left-leaning parties (such as the Green Party, Social Democrats, and Left Party) benefit the most from strategically engaging with this issue. Even parties like the Christian Democrats and the Liberal Party recognize strategic relevance in addressing the Israel-Palestine issue. Notably, the Center Party påsy the least attention to this issue. The most relevant party goals are policy and international credibility. The study also reveals significant relationships between parties and their sympathizers. In addition, the results offer concrete examples of how the party strategy works within the political parties, thus contributing to party strategy research, Swedish foreign policy and the Israel-Palestine issue in a Swedish context. In conclusion, the Israel-Palestine issue is deeply ideological. While it serves as a political tool in foreign policy debates, its impact is even more pronounced in domestic discussions, where parties use it to underscore their ideological stances. Overall, the Israel-Palestine issue remains to be one of the most polarized topics in the Swedish foreign policy debate.