Sweden said Monday it will not open an embassy in Ramallah even though it has officially recognized “the state of Palestine”, the first major EU nation to do so.  

“Nobody has opened an embassy in Ramallah, and we think that this can be managed by the consulate in Jerusalem, which is a satisfactory solution for us,” Foreign Minister Margot Wallstroem told public radio.

Sweden last month officially recognized the Palestinian Authority as a “Palestinian state”, a move that infuriated Israel which responded by recalling its ambassador to Stockholm.  

PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, whose headquarters are in Ramallah, hailed Sweden’s recognition as “courageous and historic”.

According to the Palestinian Authority, around 135 countries have recognized the “state of Palestine,” including several nations that are now EU members.