Israel condemns Sweden’s permission to burn Torah scroll
Israel’s highest officials are calling on Swedish authorities to revoke the Stockholm police's authorization for activists to burn a Torah scroll. The move comes shortly after the Quran burning in Sweden which sparked outrage in the Muslim world.
Israel’s president, prime minister, ministers and religious authorities strongly condemned the planned burning of a Torah scroll on Saturday outside the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm. On Friday, they called upon Swedish authorities to revoke the authorization granted by local police for the protest.
The request to burn the Torah scroll came from an unnamed Swedish individual in his 30s, who explained his plan came in reaction to the burning of a Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm some three weeks ago. The incident sparked wide outrage and protests in the Islamic world.
On Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted on Telegram, "The State of Israel takes very seriously this shameful decision, which harms the highest sanctity of the Jewish people. The books sacred to all religions must be respected."
A statement issued by Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen read, "Burning a Torah scroll is a hate crime, a provocation and a serious attack against the Jewish people and Jewish tradition. I call on the authorities in Sweden to prevent this despicable event."
