Palestinians 'mourning their dead' this Eid: Former Swedish official

ANKARA

Palestinians are "mourning their dead" this Eid al-Fitr holiday, a former Swedish foreign minister said on Thursday.

"I feel a bottomless grief for what is now happening in Jerusalem, Gaza and several places in Israel. Eid Mubarak this year means mourning their dead for the Palestinians -and probably losing what is left of hope for peaceful co-existence," Margot Wallstrom said on Facebook, referring to the holiday marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan​​​​​​​

"Restraint is the international gospel -but can Palestinians and Israelis live with no hope and plan for a common future -if there is no two-state solution and nothing to replace it," she added.

She said both sides are living in fear, anger and loss. “Maybe we need the power of women to take us from this dark place in history.”

Wallstrom was Foreign Minister from 2014-2019 and Sweden recognized Palestine as a state during her term which caused tension in relations between Sweden and Israel.

Tensions have been running high in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem since last week when an Israeli court ordered the eviction of Palestinian families. The decision was later postponed.

Palestinians protesting in solidarity with residents of the neighborhood have been targeted by Israeli forces.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move that has never been recognized by the international community.