Sweden’s ambassador in Tel Aviv has been summoned to the Israeli Foreign Ministry for clarification.<br /><br />This after the new centre-left government in Stockholm made a surprise announcement that it plans to recognise the state of Palestine. <br /><br />The Israeli Prime Minister has slammed Sweden, calling the announcement counter-productive and saying it will do nothing to help with peace efforts.<br /><br />But there is praise on the Palestinian side.<br /><br />Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President, said: <br />“This case is being discussed by many countries in the world, especially European countries and we hope they will follow Sweden who took this brave step.”<br /><br />What is called a “defacto” recognition of the state of Palestine was approved by the UN General Assembly in 2012. However, most European countries have so far not given official recognition.
