Sharon commends emissary over wrecking Sweden exhibit

By: Ahmad Hammadi

HELD JERUSALEM: Israel-Sweden spat over a Stockholm art exhibit showing a Palestinian suicide bomber turned into a full-scale diplomatic row, and Israeli Premier praised his ambassador to Sweden on Sunday for vandalizing the display.

Addressing a cabinet meeting Sunday, Sharon had called Mazel and thanked him “for his strength in dealing with increasing anti-Semitism, and told him that the entire government stands behind him.”

The Israeli ambassador Zvi Mazel threw a mounted spotlight at the outdoor exhibit in Stockholm's Museum of National Antiquities on Friday. Mazel, who was ousted from the exhibit, said the display legitimized genocide, and Israel has demanded that it be removed.

The artwork by an Israel-born artist depicts a small ship in a rectangular pool filled with red-colored water. The ship carries a picture of Islamic Jihad bomber Hanadi Jaradat, who kissed martyrdom killing 21 Israelis on Oct. 4 in Haifa, Israel.

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