Markus Glennmo, district leader of the Christian Democratic Youth Party in South Sweden spoke to Arutz Sheva-Israel National News from the Knesset.
Glennmo introduced his delegation as representing several countries. "We're a group of young politicians from the Nordic countries. We're a couple of Finns, a couple of Swedes, and one Danish guy. And we're here to learn about Israel and the situation.”
He added, “Yesterday we were at in the northern part of Israel by the Lebanese border and the Syrian border to learn about the situation there and what Israel going to do going forward. And tomorrow we're going to the Gaza envelope to see the horrific places of the Nova Festival and kibbutzim.”
When asked about the rise of radical Islam in Europe, Glennmo said the problem is deeply felt in his own country. “We saw it during the October 7th massacre, when there were people out in Malmö celebrating on the streets,” he said. “We’re a lot of people who are fighting this and who are real friends of Israel, but sadly it's the silent majority. We need to keep on fighting for the Jewish people in Europe and to make sure that radical Islam doesn't take it over.”
As a young politician, Glennmo says he sees education as one of the key tools in this fight. “We usually go out in schools, we talk about it, and we try to give the facts instead of feelings,” he said. “Some students are open to the ideas and they listen, but others just scream at us and call us baby killers. It's really hard.”
He also acknowledged the challenge of combating misinformation. “Anybody can just go on TikTok and say what they want and spread lies and Hamas propaganda. But some of us look at the real stuff.”
Glennmo, who is Christian, said his connection to Israel is deeply rooted in faith and family tradition. “For me, it feels like a moral obligation,” he explained. “Israel has nothing to do with us, our history and our past, but we have everything to do with Israel's history - with Moses, with the Ten Commandments, with Jesus Christ. My family, thankfully, is all very pro-Israel. We've been pro-Israel since the beginning of the state.”
He added that his family’s support for Israel goes back generations. “My great-grandfather was the leader of Friends of Israel in the 1980s and visited the country many times to help the Jewish people. My grandfather is still doing the same."
Asked what Israel can do to strengthen its advocacy abroad, Glennmo urged continued outreach. “You should do more of what you're doing now with my delegation,” he said. “Bring young politicians from every country to visit Israel, see the truth, and show them what really happened on October 7. Show them that what's happening in Gaza is not what Hamas is spreading, but what Israel is actually saying.”
Glennmo concluded with a message of encouragement to Israelis: “Keep on fighting. This is your country. This is your right. Am Yisrael Chai.”