Sweden’s new Prime Minister Stefan Löfven has said that his country will recognize Palestinian statehood.
Social Democrat Löfven presented his new Cabinet and policy guidelines to the Swedish parliament on Friday. His party won the general elections last month and Löfven succeeded center-right politician Fredrik Reinfelt as prime minister.
Palestine would be recognized as a sovereign state by Sweden, Löfven told lawmakers, adding: “The conflict between Israel and Palestine can only be solved by implementation a two-state solution.”
Sweden's attitude toward Palestinian statehood has been controversial. In 2012, then Foreign Minister Carl Bildt did not vote in favor of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations, a decision for which he was attacked by the then opposition. Bildt’s successor as Swedish foreign minister is Margot Wallström, a former European commissioner and UN special envoy.
Meanwhile, British parliamentarians will also be given a vote soon on whether the UK should recognize a state of Palestine, according to a report by the 'Middle East Monitor'. Writing in the 'New Statesman' magazine recently, several leading Conservative MPs, including Baroness Morris, called on the government to support the motion, which has been tabled by a member of the opposition Labor Party.
If the motion is backed by a majority of lawmakers, Britain would follow Spain, whose parliament passed a similar resolution in 2011.
