Sweden, Israel thaw relations after 7-year quarrel over Palestine

Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde will pay the first official visit to Israel since the Scandinavian Kingdom's recognition of Palestine, which she will also visit.

Here in Brussels on May 10, 2021 © Olivier Matthys, AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

Israeli President Isaac Herzog will receive an unusual visit this Monday, October 18: the Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The two governments cut off official contacts after Sweden recognized Palestine in 2014, one of the few European countries to have done so.

The thaw in relations does not, however, call into question the recognition of the " 

 ", according to Stockholm.

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With our correspondent in Stockholm,

When the independence of Palestine was declared in November 1988 from Algiers, the country was recognized by most of the leaders of Africa, Asia or South America, but not by the great Western powers.

So when Sweden became the 

, the break with Israel was inevitable.

For seven years, no official contact was possible between the two governments, even by telephone.

The Jewish state criticized the Scandinavian kingdom for its pro-Palestinian stances, while Sweden 

.

This return to normal is convenient for the Israelis, who want to improve their relations with European countries.

But it also helps Sweden, which did not want to see this hostility continue as many Arab countries begin to establish diplomatic relations with the Jewish state.

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• Sweden

• Israel

• Israelo-Palestinian conflict

• Palestinian territories

• Diplomacy