Swedish foreign minister calls for inquiry into Israeli 'extrajudicial killings'
Margot Wallstrom, who has frequently raised hackles in Israel, calls for investigation of Israeli actions during recent violence.
Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom called on Tuesday for an investigation to determine whether Israel was guilty of extrajudicial killings of Palestinians during recent violence there, local media reported.
The comments were the latest in a series of statements by Wallstrom that have irked Israeli authorities. Ties between Sweden and Israel nose-dived when Sweden recognized the Palestinian state shortly after Wallstrom's center-left Social Democrats won a parliamentary election in 2014.
The rift then deepened further when she described the Palestinians' plight as a factor leading to Islamist radicalization.
"It is vital that there is a thorough, credible investigation into these deaths in order to clarify and bring about possible accountability," Wallstrom said during a parliamentary debate, according to news agency TT.
In response, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement: "The Swedish Foreign Minister has, in her reckless and ludicrous comments, buoyed terrorism and by so doing is encouraging violence."
Wallstrom publicly accused Israeli of "extrajudicial killings" in December during a discussion at the Swedish parliament about the ongoing wave of violence and terror attacks raging in Israel.
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven caused controversy in December when he said stabbing attacks were not considered terrorism.
