Inquiry into Israeli killings called for by Sweden

  • 13/01/2016
Palestinians run from an Israeli army tank guarding the Jewish settlement of Neve Dekalim, southern Gaza Strip (Reuters)
Palestinians run from an Israeli army tank guarding the Jewish settlement of Neve Dekalim, southern Gaza Strip (Reuters)

Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom has called for an investigation to determine if Israel was guilty of extrajudicial killings of Palestinians during recent violence there, local media is reporting.

The comments made on Tuesday are the latest in a series of statements by Wallstrom that have irked Israeli authorities.

Ties between Sweden and Israel nose-dived when Sweden recognised the Palestinian state shortly after Wallstrom's centre-left Social Democrats won general elections in 2014.

The rift deepened last year when she described Palestinians' plight as a factor leading to Islamist radicalisation.

"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 .

Rights groups have accused Israel of using excessive force to quell the unrest.

The United States, the European Union and the United Nations have all expressed concern, saying while they recognise Israel's right to self-defence, restraint is necessary to ensure the violence does not escalate further.

Almost daily stabbings, car-rammings and shootings by Palestinians have killed 21 Israelis and a US citizen since early October. The violence has raised fears of a wider escalation a decade after the last Palestinian uprising subsided.

In the same period, Israeli forces or armed civilians have killed at least 133 Palestinians, 83 of whom authorities described as assailants. Most others have been killed in clashes with security forces.

The surge in violence has been fuelled by Palestinians' frustration over Israel's 48-year occupation of land they want for an independent state, and expanded settlements in territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.

Reuters