Sweden's foreign minister has canceled a planned visit to Israel this week, an Israeli spokesman confirmed Sunday, amid growing tensions over a recent Swedish newspaper which claimed Israeli soldiers trade organs taken out of Palestinian bodies.
According to the AP, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt has called off the trip planned for this Friday, Yigal Palmor, spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry conveyed.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman called for a condemnation from the Swedish government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the story was reminiscent of medieval libels that Jews killed Christian children for their blood.
Sweden's government refused. "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," Bildt, the foreign minister, wrote in his blog after the controversy erupted.
