Sweden Aligns with "Muslim countries, dictatorships and religious regimes against the only democracy in the Middle East"

"Should Israeli officials be surprised Sweden was the only European Union country to vote for an anti-Israel UNESCO resolution denying Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem?

The question comes just days after UNESCO's executive committee May 2 approved a resolution calling Israel an 'occupying power' in Jerusalem and saying any Israeli efforts to assert sovereignty over the holy city are 'null and must be rescinded forthwith.' The resolution passed in a 22-10 vote.

'It was no surprise to see that Sweden once again has aligned itself with Muslim countries, dictatorships and religious regimes against the only democracy in the Middle East,' Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon told JNS.org.

'Unfortunately, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom has made numerous anti-Israel declarations...and Sweden under the current government has voted systematically against the state of Israel [at the United Nations].'...

'Swedish-Israeli relations are at an all-time low right now,' Magnus Norell, a Swedish adjunct scholar with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told JNS.org. 'And I don't see any signs of an immediate improvement.'

According to Norell, Sweden voted with the Arab bloc at the U.N. May 2 out of 'sheer ignorance of the historical background and context, ineptness (poor communication between the Foreign Ministry and the governing administration) and identity politics.' The government's 'pro-Palestinian attitude often leads to supporting all kinds of initiatives, as long as it's perceived as being against Israel,' he added..."