In November, a large number of Finnish diplomats sent a jointly signed letter to Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen (NCP) expressing their dissatisfaction with Finland's policies in the Middle East.
A total of 79 foreign ministry employees said in the letter that Finland should demand a ceasefire in Gaza, condemning what they characterised as Israel's disproportionate use of force and likely violations of international law in the region.
Critical messages sent to ministers by civil servants are very rare in Finland.
Discussing the letter, Valtonen told news service STT that it was good to have a discussion about Finland's policies.
She added that Finland's foreign and security policies in the Middle East are based on human rights, democracy, the rule of law and equality.
Valtonen further noted that Finland is a strong supporter of the ICC (International Criminal Court), which tries individuals for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. She said that the ICC is in the process of collecting evidence of potential war crimes in the region.
The foreign minister said that there is "no doubt that Finland is prepared to condemn and would like to condemn the perpetrators of — regardless of who the perpetrator is — all of these crimes," which could be indications of war crimes "or even worse".
Valtonen also said that Finland has consistently condemned Israel's actions in illegal outposts in the West Bank.
In October, when the United Nations General Assembly called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, Finland abstained. At the time, Valtonen said Finland would have voted in favour of the resolution if it had clearly condemned the attack by the terrorist group Hamas.
In December, less than a month after the diplomats sent their letter, Finland voted in favour of the UNGA's resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
Three of the coalition government's four parties have shown steadfast support for Israel's policies, including Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's National Coalition, the Finns Party and the Christian Democrats.
The diplomats who wrote the letter told STT that the government should agree upon a balanced policy regarding Israel.
Most of the civil servants who signed the letter were younger employees from the foreign affairs ministry. However, the signatories do not include, for example, Finnish ambassadors.
According to STT's sources, opinions about the letter among veteran diplomats are divided, some think it was a brave and worthwhile endeavour while others thought the move was inappropriate.
Finns Party MP Jani Mäkelä criticised the diplomats' letter, suggesting that they took a step too far in their authority. In a post on social media platform X, the MP said civil servants need to obey the policies of the ministry and the government.
He suggested that the civil servants' actions openly opposed their superiors and hinted that the officials who took part in the letter should consider resigning.
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