Tag Archive for Israel Sweden

| January 5, 2018
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Swedish envoy admits to Israel: ‘Sweden has failed its Jewish citizens’

Although Sweden is the only European country that formally recognizes a “State of Palestine,” Swedish Ambassador Magnus Hellgren insists his country does not have an anti-Israel foreign policy.
– Amb. Hellgren, “If a single Jew,” feels they must hide their Judaism, “we have failed.”

By JTA

 

Swedish authorities have failed to protect the country’s Jewish community, the Scandinavian country’s ambassador to Israel said following antisemitic incidents in Malmo and Gothenburg.

Magnus Hellgren said this in an interview for the Israeli daily Makor Rishon following the attempted torching of the Gothenburg synagogue and cries about killing Jews in Malmo. Both events happened amid protests over President Donald Trump’s Dec. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News, The Diaspora | Tags: , ,
| September 17, 2017
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Israel TV2 Reports: Netanyahu declines meeting with Swedish Prime Minister, again

According to an Israel TV 2 news report on Saturday evening, P.M. Netanyahu, for the second year in a row, refused an invitation for a sit-down meeting with Sweden’s P.M. Lofven, citing ‘scheduling conflicts’.

By i24NEWS

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly declined a meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven on the sidelines of next week’s United Nations General Assembly in New York, reportedly in part due to the country’s recognition of a Palestinian state and past criticisms of Israel.

Swedish Prime Minister in meeting with Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran, and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani accompanied him.

Continue Reading »
Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| June 13, 2017
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Sweden to resume directs flights to Eilat after 15 year break

 

Some 15 years after Swedish airline SAS ended their direct flights from Stockholm to the Red Sea resort town because of the 2nd Intifada, the route is reopening as Israel’s Tourism Ministry and Eilat hotels are offering incentives to airlines to fly in tourists.

By Ronit Zilberstein

 

Decades ago, Swedes used to enjoy escaping from their long, cold winter with a direct flight to the southern Israeli resort town of Eilat, where they often would spend some time soaking up the sun as the first stop en route to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

That came to an end when direct flights from Sweden to Eilat ended some 15 years ago, because of the Second Intifada. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: , ,
| December 13, 2016
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Israel’s top leaders ignore planned visit by Swedish FM

 

Sweden’s Foreign Minister Margot Wallström, staunchly anti-Israel, is scheduled to arrive in Israel and travel to the Palestinian Authority on Thursday, was officially informed that top Israeli officials have no time for her.

By Itamar Eichner

 

The Israeli government has decided to shun Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström’s upcoming visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority on Thursday.

Wallström is a vocal critic of Israel and has made several controversial statements in the past. Her government also holds one-sided pro-Palestinian positions. She previously accused Israel of conducting “extrajudicial executions” of Palestinians committing terror attacks and seemed to imply that there was a connection between Islamist terrorism in Europe and the “desperate situation” of the Palestinians. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: , ,
| August 28, 2016
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Israeli Knesset Member Takes Sweden to Task for Distorted Moral Attitude

 

MK Lapid: “We are standing here in Wallenberg Square, in memory of the Swedish diplomat who during the Holocaust saved my father…Your gov’t and, in particular, your Foreign Minister, are now on the wrong side morality. However, Wallenberg’s legacy, the legacy of moral courage, still exists in Sweden.”

By Yoel Domb

 

The head of the “Yesh Atid” party, MK Yair Lapid, attended a pro-Israel rally today (Sunday) in Stockholm, Sweden, together with hundreds of supporters of Israel, members of the Swedish Parliament, students and representatives of the Jewish community in Stockholm.

Yesh Atid chairman MK Yair Lapid

The rally took place in the wake of a surge in anti-Semitic statements over the past few months in Europe in general and specifically in Sweden, and in the wake of the delegitimization campaign recently orchestrated by BDS. Continue Reading »

Category: The Diaspora | Tags: ,
| January 14, 2016
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PM Netanyahu criticizes Swedish FM’s ‘foolish & immoral’ remarks

 

Israel’s PM denounces the Swedish FM’s attempt to delegitimize the response of Israeli security forces for shooting at Palestinian terrorists as they attempt to knife Jews to death.

By Nitsan Keidar

 

Prime Minister Binaymin Netanyahu on Thursday night responded for the first time to the latest inflammatory comments of Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom against Israel, which were made on Tuesday.

Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom – Reuters

Wallstrom called to investigate the Jewish state for “executing” Palestinian Arabs, in an attempt to delegitimize the actions of security forces killing Arab terrorists as they conduct an attack. Killing the terrorists is often a matter of life or death in preventing further victims, as in many cases the terrorists continue attacking after being shot.
Continue Reading »
Category: Israel News | Tags: , , , ,
| December 5, 2015
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Sweden’s FM response to Palestinian terrorism was bashing Israel for ‘extrajudicial executions’ of terrorists

 

Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom’s remarks during a session of parliament distracted attention away from the victims of terrorism and the horrific acts of Palestinian terrorists, by focusing blame on the Jewish State.

By JPOST.COM STAFF

 

Sweden’s foreign minister is apparently mastering the craft of angering Israel when the opportunity arises.

Last month, Israel condemned as “shockingly hostile” comments by Margot Wallstrom that seemed to link the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the ISIS-backed terrorist attacks in Paris.

Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom – Photo: AFP

In October, Wallstrom irked Israel with a tweet about the wave of terror sweeping the country. Continue Reading »

Category: The Diaspora | Tags: , , ,
| October 21, 2015
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Pro-Palestinian Protesters in Malmo, Sweden Chant “Slaughter the Jews”

 

Israel’s ambassador to Sweden, “These are extremely troubling instances of a grotesque but nevertheless very real, & murderous, incitement…”

By JTA

 

Hundreds of protesters in the Swedish city of Malmo were filmed chanting in Arabic about slaughtering Jews and stabbing soldiers.

A protester chants slogans near a banner reading “Boycott Israel” during an anti-Israel march in Malmo. – Photo: REUTERS

Pro-Palestinian groups organized a rally Monday in the city center against what they consider Israeli violence and to show solidarity with Palestinians amid deadly measures taken by Israeli authorities to stop the recent spate of attacks on Jews in Israel and the West Bank. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: , , , ,
| October 20, 2015
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Scandinavian Airlines to End Flights to Israel

 

Citing financial concerns and political instability, Scandinavian Airlines announced it will halt their flights to Tel Aviv as of March 2016.

By Reut Hadar

 

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) announced on Monday it would be stopping its flights to Israel, citing “political instability” as being behind the decision.

Scandinavian Airlines airplane – Photo: Reuters

In addition to flights to the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, the airline also announced it would no longer include Moscow and Ankara among its destinations either.

Flights from Copenhagen to Tel Aviv will cease in March of 2016, the airline announced, a little more than three years after Scandinavian Airlines launched its flight to Israel. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| January 30, 2015
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Sweden Invites Abbas in Official ‘Royal’ State Visit After ‘Palestine’ Recognition

Stockholm officially invites PA President Abbas despite the fact that ‘Palestine’ doesn’t yet exist.

By Arutz Sheva Staff

 

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas will visit Stockholm next month after Sweden became the first major state of the European Union to recognize the PA as “Palestine,” the Swedish government announced Friday.

Mahmoud Abbas – Photo: Reuters

“The visit of president Abbas, by invitation from the prime minister, is confirmed for February 10,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Ulla Jacobson told AFP. “He will also meet the foreign minister, the king and the archbishop.”

She said the agenda would include the Arab-Israeli peace process and “what Sweden can offer after (its) recognition” of “Palestine” in October.

Continue Reading »
Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| January 15, 2015
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After Palestinian Recognition Swedish Foreign Minister ‘persona-non-grata’ in Israel

Stockholm’s ‘utterly unfriendly’ decision to recognize the ‘state of Palestine’, without any previous consultation, leaves Minister Margot Wallstroem officially unwelcomed in Jerusalem by foreign ministry.

By Arutz Sheva

 

Israel said Thursday that Sweden’s foreign minister was not welcome for an official visit in the country, with relations strained over Stockholm’s recognition of “Palestine.”

Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstroem – Photo: Reuters

The minister, Margot Wallstroem, last week postponed a trip to Israel indefinitely, with Israeli media reports suggesting that Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman did not want to meet her.

Sweden’s decision in October to recognize “Palestine” – the first major EU nation to do so – infuriated Israel, which temporarily recalled its ambassador to Stockholm.

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Category: Israel News | Tags:
| January 8, 2015
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To avoid embarrassment Swedish FM cancels trip to Israel

Israel Foreign Minister Lieberman announced he would ignore her after Sweden became Europe’s 1st country to recognize Palestine as a state.

By i24news

 

Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstroem has postponed indefinitely a planned visit to Israel. Although no reason was provided, Israeli media speculated the decision was the result of a snub by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who announced he would not meet with her because her government had recognized the Palestinian Authority as a Palestinian state.

Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Margot Wallstroem – Photo: AFP/JONATHAN NACKSTRAND

Israel recalled its ambassador to Stockholm, Isaac Bachmann, in response to the decision adopted in October by Sweden’s new government, but has since sent him back to his post. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| December 19, 2014
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Israel’s FM Lieberman plans to ignore Swedish counterpart’s visit

After Sweden purposely hid its intention to recognize a Palestinian state, Israel’s Foreign Minister is reportedly frustrated with Sweden’s decision to not even hearing the Israeli side.
• Lieberman also accuses PA leader Abbas of conveying Hamas-like positions only in Arabic interviews.

By Israel Hayom Staff

 

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has refused to meet with Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstroem during her upcoming visit to Israel next month, in light of Sweden’s recent motion for Palestinian recognition.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman – Photo: AP

Sweden voted in October to recognize a Palestinian state, making it the first major European Union member state to officially recognize the Palestinian statehood bid.

Continue Reading »
Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| December 9, 2014
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Israeli Ambassador to Sweden: Stockholm should look at itself before it judges Israel

The UN panel against torture reported on Sweden’s illegal treatment of minors, minorities, and refugees prompted the Israeli envoy to hit back at the  country that hypocritically criticizes Israeli policy in territories.

By Itamar Eichner

 

A United Nations report accusing Sweden of violating human rights of refugees, minors and minorities has been serving as a basis for a diplomatic settling of scores between Stockholm and Jerusalem, with critics saying Sweden must take a hard look at itself before it slams Israeli policy towards Palestinians.

Riksdagshuset - Photo courtesy, Wikipedia Commons

Sweden’s Riksdagshuset – Photo courtesy, Wikipedia Commons

The report, presented by the United Nations Committee against Torture, criticized the treatment of children in Swedish detention and custody. Continue Reading »

Category: The Diaspora | Tags: , , ,
| October 30, 2014
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Sweden’s new center-left gov’t officially recognizes a Palestinian state

Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s Foreign Minister described Sweden’s official recognition as “a miserable decision that strengthens the extremist elements & Palestinian rejectionism.”

AP, Reuters

 

 

STOCKHOLM – Sweden’s center-left government on Thursday officially recognized the state of Palestine, becoming the first major European country to do so.

The new center-left Swedish government (Photo: AP)

The new center-left Swedish government – Photo: AP

The EU member country joined only two other Western European countries — Malta and Cyprus — that have officially recognized a Palestinian state.

Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said the Scandinavian country had decided on the move because the criteria of international law required for such recognition had been fulfilled. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News, The Diaspora | Tags: , , ,
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