AJC: Sweden's Recognition of "Palestine" Sets Back Chances for Peace

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Oct 30, 2014, 08:25 ET

NEW YORK, Oct. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC called Sweden's recognition of the "State of Palestine" an act of empty symbolism that will not advance the peace process.

"Sweden's misguided act will further complicate the quest for peace by telling the Palestinians they can skip the negotiating table with Israel, while telling Israel that some European countries can't be trusted as honest brokers," said AJC Executive Director David Harris.

Sweden's move today follows Prime Minister Stefan Lofven's inaugural address earlier this month, in which he said his new government would recognize "Palestine."

"Sweden's prime minister, whatever he may think are good intentions, has set back peace by recognizing a state that does not yet exist, has no final borders, and has divided local authority between the PA and Hamas," Harris added. "Moreover, Sweden's move comes after PA President Mahmoud Abbas delivered an incendiary address to the UN General Assembly last month, and while he and other Palestinian leaders are now encouraging escalated confrontation in Jerusalem."

"Alas, the turbulent Middle East, which is the reality of Israel's neighborhood, is not exactly tranquil Scandinavia, a point sometimes overlooked in Stockholm, it would seem," Harris concluded.

AJC has long supported efforts to achieve a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but only through a negotiated settlement.

Similarly, the position of the 28-member European Union, of which Sweden is a member, as well as the United States, is that an independent Palestinian state, alongside Israel, can only emerge through direct Israeli-Palestinian talks.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee