Published by The New York Times – 

The Swedish government on Thursday officially recognized a state of Palestine, as the new prime minister, Stefan Lofven, ignoredIsraeli protests and followed through on a pledge he made at his inauguration this month.

The Swedish Foreign Ministry posted a message on Twitter on Thursday announcing the move and saying the Swedish government “expressed hopes for peaceful coexistence between #Israel and #Palestine.

Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said that Sweden hoped its “excellent cooperation” with Israel would continue and that the decision would be met in Jerusalem “in a constructive way,” The Associated Press reported.

The Palestinian leadership welcomed the move, which came amid growing criticism and frustration in Europe and the United States of Israeli settlement policies in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.