Finally, a principled nation treats Israel with the respect it deserves:
Sweden is boycotting an international air force exercise in Italy next month due to the fact that Israel’s Air Force will take part. It has also decided to grant entry visas to Hamas members.
Though not mentioning the Jewish State by name, Sweden’s Defense Minister Leni Bjorklund said that her country was withdrawing its participating due to the fact that “the Swedish Armed Forces were notified at a late stage that a state not belonging to the Partnership for Peace, and with which Sweden did not previously have bilateral military cooperation and which does not take part in international peacekeeping missions, was to take part in the air exercise.”
A Swedish official told Israel Radio that Israel was not currently advancing peace and was therefore not fit to take part in the exercise.
Israel is naturally outraged.
Meanwhile, the difficulty of articulating a humane Jewish state continues (this Philip Weiss article in The Nation best tackles the Israel lobby question in this context). Israel should not simply be respected because it constantly talks about “fighting terror”.