Palestine–Sweden relations

Palestine–Sweden relations are bilateral relations between the State of Palestine and the Kingdom of Sweden. Sweden recognized Palestine as a sovereign state on 30 October 2014.^[1] Palestine has an embassy in Stockholm, which opened in February 2015.^[2]

Palestine-Sweden relations

Palestine	Sweden

History

Sweden voted in favor of the United Nations plan for the partition of Palestine in 1947.^[3] Folke Bernadotte, a Swede, was a United Nations mediator in the Arab–Israeli conflict and put forward a peace plan before he was assassinated in 1948 by the Zionist terrorist group Lehi, who accused him of favoring the Arabs.^[4] During the 1980s, Sweden also mediated the US's lifting of the ban on holding direct talks with the PLO.^[5]

Recognition

In October 2014, Sweden recognised Palestinian statehood after the Social Democratic Party won a plurality in the 2014 general election and becomes first European Union member in Nordic countries to make move, saying we hope this will show the way for others.^[6] Palestinians and their supporters welcomed Sweden's decision, viewing it as a significant step towards achieving international recognition for Palestine.^[7]

In late 2022, the Swedish foreign minister Tobias Billström called the 2014 recognition of Palestine "premature and unfortunate".^[8]

See also

• Foreign relations of Palestine
• Foreign relations of Sweden
• Folke Bernadotte
• Israel–Sweden relations