Israelis have been urged to boycott Ikea as part of a long-running diplomatic feud between Israel and Sweden.
The move was suggested as a way of demonstrating widespread anger at Margot Wallstrom, the Swedish foreign minister, who is an outspoken critic of Israel.
Israel’s government said Ms Wallstrom was “not welcome” in the Jewish state after she called for an investigation into the deaths of Palestinianskilled while allegedly trying to attack Israelis.
Sweden’s Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom Photo: REUTERS
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has denounced Ms Wallstrom’s comments as “outrageous”, “immoral” and “unjust”.
But some Israeli politicians suggested going beyond diplomatic barbs. “I’m not calling to sever relations with Sweden, but I do recommend that everyone stop shopping at Ikea,” said Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s former foreign minister.
The Swedish furniture company has three hugely popular outlets in Israel and shopping there on Fridays, the beginning of the Israeli weekend, has been described as “a national sport”.
It is not the first time Ikea has found itself invoked during a diplomatic spat. Sweden officially recognised Palestine as a state in late 2014 to the fury of Israel.
Mr Lieberman, who was then foreign minister, said: “The Swedish government needs to understand that relations in the Middle East are more complicated than a piece of furniture from Ikea that you assemble at home.”
Ms Wallstrom retorted along similar lines. “I will be happy to send Israeli foreign minister Lieberman an Ikea flat pack to assemble,” she said. “He’ll see it requires a partner, cooperation and a good manual.”
The Swedish minister has also criticised the human rights records of Russia and Saudi Arabia, often prompting angry responses.
Israel has been at odds with Sweden but also the European Union, which recently decided to label products made in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Israel responded by cutting its ties with EU institutions over the peace process with Palestinians.
Speaking to foreign journalists in Jerusalem on Thursday, Mr Netanyahu insisted his country had strong relations with individual EU members states and hoped for a more positive “reset” with the EU’s institutions.
“We have to reset our relationship with the EU, I hope we can do this on better terms,” he said.
“There is a natural tendency in the EU establishment to single out Israel and treat it in ways that other countries are not being dealt with, and especially other democracies,” he said. “I think that’s wrong”.