(JNS.org) Days after new Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven’s controversial declaration that his country would recognize a Palestinian state, Swedish Ambassador to Israel Carl Magnus Nesser said in a statement that there had been a misunderstanding and that such recognition would only follow extensive peace talks, rather than unilateral Palestinian actions. In his inaugural address Friday, Oct. 3, Lofven had said Sweden was set to recognize “Palestine” as a state, becoming the first European Union (EU) member to do so. Lofven later clarified that he was referring to future, rather than immediate, recognition of a Palestinian state. While several European countries such as Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Romania have already recognized Palestinian statehood, they did so before becoming EU members.