NIEUWS NEDERLANDS PALESTINA KOMITEE

Bethlehem / PNN – The visit of Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt with the Israelis, slated for Friday, is now cancelled.

Israeli Army Radio quoted Israeli diplomatic sources today as saying that the cancellation is due to prevailing tensions over an Israeli demand that Sweden censor its press.

A newspaper article published last month suggested that an Israeli criminal ring harvested the organs of Palestinians killed by the army. The piece, headlined “Our sons are plundered for their organs” ran in the Swedish daily Aftonbladet. The Israeli government demanded that Sweden officially condemn the article, however the Swedish government ignored the Israelis, citing freedom of the press.

A spokesperson for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Yigal Palmor, made the announcement today that Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt called off his trip planned for this Friday. The Israelis would not elaborate.

However, the Israelis are up in arms over the article with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman calling for a condemnation from the Swedish government and Defense Minister Ehud Barak considering suing Aftonbladet reporters for libel.

The Swedish ambassador to the Israelis did publish a condemnation of the article, which she was reprimanded for doing. Swedish Foreign Minister Bildt said, “Freedom of expression and press freedom are very strong in our constitution by tradition. And that strong protection has served our democracy and our country well.”