Stockholm: Sweden has officially recognised the state of Palestine, the Swedish foreign minister said, less than a month after Stockholm announced its intention to make the controversial move.
“Today the government takes the decision to recognise the state of Palestine,” Margot Wallström said in a statement published in the Dagens Nyheter newspaper yesterday. “It is an important step that confirms the Palestinians’ right to self-determination. We hope that this will show the way for others.” While the Palestinians cheered, Israel called its ambassador to Sweden to protest and express disappointment.
Seven EU member states have already recognised a Palestinian state – Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Poland and Romania. Non-EU member Iceland has also done so.
The US cautioned Sweden against recognition, calling it “premature” and saying the Palestinian state could only come through a negotiated solution between Israelis and Palestinians. A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas described Sweden’s decision as “brave and historic”.
The Guardian
