Sweden officially recognises state of Palestine

Sweden is to recognise the state of Palestine in a move that will make it the first major member of the European Union to do so.

The prime minister of the new centre-left government Stefan Lofven said the conflict between Israel and Palestine can only be solved with a "two-state solution".

"Sweden will therefore recognise the state of Palestine," Lofven said during his inaugural address in parliament.

Hungary, Poland and Slovakia recognised Palestine before they joined the EU, making Sweden the first country to acknowledge Palestine while being a member of the bloc.

More than 2,000 people were killed after a seven-week conflict between Israel and Hamas earlier this year.