Islam Times - Swedish foreign minister postpones visit to Israel

Islam Times - Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstroem has put off a planned trip to Israel to an undecided later date, in an obvious cooling of relations between the two sides since Sweden recognized Palestine.

“The foreign minister has decided to postpone her visit to Israel and Palestine. Instead of next week it will take place later. No date is yet decided,” Wallstroem’s spokesman Erik Boman said on Wednesday.

Last October, the Swedish government officially recognized Palestine as an independent state amid fury from the Israeli regime over the move.

Sweden became the first major European country to officially recognize the state of Palestine, joining 130 other nations, including Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, that had already made a similar decision.

Sweden’s decision led to Israel recalling its ambassador to Stockholm.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was not willing to meet his Swedish counterpart, Israeli media reported last month.