Avigdor Lieberman has decided against meeting his Swedish counterpart Margot Wallström during her visit to Israel next month, Channel 2 TV reported on Wednesday. The foreign minister’s decision follows Sweden’s recognition of the State of Palestine. The government in Stockholm was the first major EU member to back the Palestinian Authority’s unilateral statehood bid.
According to Lieberman, Sweden refused to listen to the Israeli arguments against what he called the “bad” recognition decision. Sweden’s move set off a wave of European parliaments voting likewise. This has been followed by the European Parliament, which earlier on Wednesday backed overwhelmingly the recognition of a Palestinian state “in principle”. MEPs approved the motion by 498 votes to 88 with 111 abstentions.
The motion was a watered-down version of a resolution that had urged EU members to recognise a Palestinian state unconditionally. The final resolution accepts “in principle recognition of Palestinian statehood and the two state solution, and believes these should go hand in hand with the development of peace talks, which should be advanced.”
The State of Palestine is recognised by 135 out of 193 member states of the United Nations.
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