News Digest

Israel criticises Swedish plan to recognise state of Palestine

Israel has described a plan by Sweden’s new centre-left government to recognise the state of Palestine as being ill-considered in the absence of Middle East peace negotiations. Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven (pictured) announced the move during his inaugural address to Stockholm’s parliament on Friday. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Sunday said Lofven had “hastened to make declarations … apparently before he could delve into the matter and understand it is the Palestinians who have constituted the obstacle to progress” in reaching a peace accord with Israel.

A two-state solution requires mutual recognition and a will to peaceful co-existence. Sweden will therefore recognise the state of Palestine.

Swedish Prime Minister Lofven

Writing on Facebook, Lieberman also said he would summon the Swedish ambassador for a “conversation” at Israel’s Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem. Meanwhile Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said the Swedish announcement was “great and honourable” and he hoped other countries would follow suit, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA. Palestinians seek statehood in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, adjacent East Jerusalem and the blockaded Gaza Strip. They have sought to side-step stalled peace talks by lobbying foreign powers to recognise their sovereignty claim.