Israeli, Swedish foreign ministers talk on phone after seven years of silence
Bilateral diplomatic relations between Israel and Sweden had deteriorated after Stockholm recognized Palestine in 2014, but now both countries seem eager to rehabilitate ties.
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced this morning he had spoken on the phone with his Swedish counterpart, Ann Linde, ending a seven-year diplomatic rift between the two countries. "I spoke with Ann Linde, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden. This phone conversation, the first in 7 years between the Foreign Ministers of our countries, symbolizes the relaunching of relations at this level," tweeted Lapid.
Lapid then said he "appreciates" Linde’s statement "regarding Sweden’s strong and solid commitment to the security of Israel and her recognition in the course of our conversation of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people. We discussed Israel’s participation at the Malmo Forum on Holocaust remembrance. I look forward to increased cooperation with Sweden on bilateral and multilateral issues."
A phone call between two foreign ministers might seem a banal affair. Truth is, the diplomatic ties between the two countries had deteriorated significantly in the past few years. In 2004, for instance, Ambassador Zvi Mazel vandalized a Stockholm art exhibit that allegedly glorifies Palestinian suicide bombers. Then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon praised Mazel for his act, saying the "entire government stands behind him."
In October 2014, Sweden was the first European Union member to recognize the state of Palestine. At the time, the move was officially announced by then-Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom, but it did not come as a surprise. Then-Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Lofven had announced as much in his inauguration speech. Jerusalem, in reaction, recalled its ambassador to Stockholm, Isaac Bachman. He returned to Stockholm one month later, but the damage was done and relations continued to deteriorate.
