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Sweden Set to Officially Recognize Palestine

Sweden’s center-left government is set to officially recognize the state of Palestine today, becoming the first major European country to do so. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the Swedish decision as “brave and historic.” Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom told a Swedish newspaper that “some will state this decision comes too soon. I am afraid, rather, that it is too late.” The United Nations recognized “Palestine” as a non-member observer state in 2012, but most of the European Union countries have yet to give official recognition. Israel and the US have argued that the only way to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is through direct negotiations, and not via the UN or any international body.