Israel is threatened from several directions simultaneously by Iran and its allies in the region and must therefore be allowed to defend itself.
It was one of the messages from Sweden's Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M) when she held her first speech in the UN General Assembly on Friday, Swedish time.
Sweden stands up for Israel's right to defend itself in accordance with international law and demands that hostages be released, said Stenergard,
She also pointed out that Sweden is one of the largest contributors to the UN organizations working to "alleviate the enormous suffering of Gaza's civilian population". Stenergard, who took office as Foreign Minister earlier in September, also expressed support for the US and French initiative for a ceasefire in Lebanon.
