By Leila Nezirevic
LONDON (AA) — A group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators have taken up residence in the Icelandic Foreign Ministry in a sit-in protest demanding government action against Israel's ongoing attacks in the Gaza Strip, local media reported Thursday.
The group established itself in the lobby of the ministry, with their stated goal to disrupt the normal functioning of authorities until they act, according to public broadcaster RUV.
The protest is not led by a specific organisation, but rather a group of local residents who oppose the government's inaction on Palestine, Salvor Gullbra Thorarinsdottir, one of the protesters, told the broadcaster.
The goal of the protest is to encourage, in a peaceful manner, the government to take action, the group said.
"Now 234 days have passed since the escalating genocide of the Palestinian people and the Icelandic authorities have done nothing to prevent it," Thorarinsdottir added.
She pointed out that the government has talked about wanting a cease-fire in Gaza "or insisting that they aim for peace and a two-state solution, but these are all empty words and no actions follow."
Thorarinsdottir referred to the Israeli army's recent attack on Rafah as "a horrible attack where people were burned alive." For her and others taking part in the protest, this marked a tipping point.
Israel continues bombarding southern Gaza's city of Rafah, which shelters hundreds of thousands of civilians, despite international condemnation.
Thorarinsdottir suggested that the protests will last until action is taken. A meeting has been requested with Foreign Minister Thordis Kolbrun Reykfjord Gylfadottir.
"We have requested to speak to the foreign minister or the deputy prime minister if she is not available at all," she added.
Thorarinsdottir emphasised that the attitude of the public in Iceland is clear on the issue of Palestine.
"It is quite clear that the public in the country wants a cease-fire in Palestine and supports the Palestinian people," she said.
According to her, this is clear in various surveys that have been carried out about the "public's dissatisfaction when Iceland abstained in a vote on a cease-fire" in October.
She also mentioned the debate that arose around Eurovision, in which protesters demanded Israel be barred from the international song contest over Tel Aviv's Gaza onslaught, and said the public was largely opposed to taking part in the competition if Israel was allowed to participate.
RUV reported that the group has several demands.
They want Iceland to impose trade sanctions on Israel and sever political ties.
Furthermore, the group demands that the government support South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and that Foreign Minister Gylfadottir initiates dialogue with other Nordic nations, as well as Ireland and Spain, to coordinate actions.
Norway, Spain, and Ireland have formally recognised Palestine as a state on Tuesday in what Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called a "historic decision."
It is therefore Iceland's duty to coordinate actions with these countries, given that it also recognized Palestine in 2011, the protesters demanded.
Since Israel started its brutal offensive on Gaza more than 36,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and over 80,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.