Israel: Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to boycott Margot Wallstrom's visit to country

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is set to boycott Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom during her visit to Israel in January in response to the Scandinavian country's decision to recognise Palestinian statehood earlier this year.

Lieberman also condemned the European Parliament for adopting a symbolic resolution that supported Palestinian statehood in principle.

"All these actions at the UN Security Council are part of a political attack by the Palestinians and their supporters against the state of Israel. We need to act in a smart and determined way," he said in a Facebook status.

"They are not helping anyone and are only acting out of their own political and domestic interests," the minister said.

At the time of Sweden's decision to recognise Palestine in October, the Israeli foreign minister said: "Relations in the Middle East are a lot more complex than the self-assembly furniture of Ikea."

In response, Wallstrom told CNN: "I will be happy to send him a flat pack of Ikea furniture and he will also see that what you need to put that together is, first of all, a partner.

"And you also need to cooperate and you need a good manual and I think we have most of those elements."

Belgium is also considering an early recognition of Palestinian statehood, while a number of EU countries have voted on symbolic motions calling for the recognition of Palestine.

Denmark is set to join other European countries in voting on a symbolic resolution calling for the recognition of the state of Palestine while Britain, France and Spain have all held symbolic votes.