Israel and Sweden on Monday ended the crisis in relations that began in October 2014 following the Swedish recognition of Palestine as a state. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid spoke by telephone with Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Lind on the eve of Yom Kippur, and this morning, after several days of coordination between the parties, he announced the resumption of relations at the Foreign Minister level. This was the first conversation between the foreign ministers of the two countries since 2014.
In the last seven years, relations between the two countries have been in a deep stalemate. Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom has become a persona non-grata in Israel. Even after she left office, Israel did not allow Swedish foreign ministers to visit Israel, and Israeli foreign ministers and prime ministers did not meet with their Swedish counterparts despite requests from Swedes.
Foreign Minister Lapid said that he appreciated the Swedish Foreign Minister's statement that Sweden is committed to Israel's security and that Israel is the nation state of the Jewish people. Lapid spoke with Lind in a telephone conversation about Israel's participation in the Holocaust Remembrance Forum that will soon take place in the city of Malmo, Sweden. "I look forward to increasing cooperation between Israel and Sweden in international fora as well," Lapid said.