First, I strongly believe that no Swedish person, private or in the government, is obliged to apologize for what ONE SINGLE PERSON, in this case a journalist, has written. Clearly, the statements were insufficiently proven, and many Swedish people have also expressed this opinion. No doubt there is a bit of truth in Carl Bildt's statement that free speech is the most democratic and efficient way to deal with those who misuse it... The logic way to go about this whole business is to investigate the case - make the reporter prove her accusations and let the israeli police look into the case. Even if IDF not generally make mistakes, there are individual soldiers who sometimes do, and we all know that. It is just as impossible for any Israeli minister to assertain the correct behaviour of every single soldier at every moment as it is for the Swedish government to begin censuring the press, even though it and other media are often tasteless, and very much so in this particular case. The only way to go about this case is a thorough investigation. If Israeli soldiers are innocent of the accusations, there is no danger what so ever to such an investigation.

the FM is correct, Sweden can denounce lies and anti-Semitic puke. #1 The onus is not on Israel to prove the libels..the paper has that obligation b4 printing something as a fact or items inciting hatred. sweden can a= indeed officialy object to nonsense, as it has iran..and about israel/

I completely disagree. If I made an outlandish crazy remark about you published before the world. Should you be required to be the one to spend thousands of dollars and hours of work to prove it false. If per say, I said you had five eyes, a snakes tounge and drank blood at night. Should you then be required to have medical tests and investigations done to prove my accusations false? Do you not see the idiocity of your argument? I wonder how you could be so blind to your own anti-semitism.

Do we need to also prove that we didn't make mazot from blood? You know the presumption of innocence applies to peoples too. Jews are innocent until proven otherwise, so it's up to the "newspaper" to prove its allegation against us.

Why should the entire IDF have to do a report over an unproven and disgustingly inappropriate allegation? Rather, the journalist should be taken to court and her or his feet held over the fire. What a disgusting thing to print in a newspaper...it seems that a Swedish newspaper has sunk to the lows of the Arab press and is now printing fabrications to slur the Jews. Of course the Swedish PM should make a public statement rejecting this newspaper's stance. Otherwise, in diplomatic behavior, he is tacitly condoning it. Leiberman is right. n

You are deviously putting Israel/Israeli soldiers on the defensive, whereas the Swedish government/Swedish media are the ones in the dock for helping perpetuate an age-old blood libel against Jews.

We'll hire best inspectors and give them best equipment, and Sweden will pay all the bills. Agreed? Or you think we're too rich anyway? Visit Hadar in Haifa if you do.

If Sweden comes down hard on newspaper then it will look like a coverup. The harder Israel tries to avoid investigation the worse it look. This maybe crap with small bits of true mixed it but once it comes out it can only be stopped by proofing its total lies.

that someone is innocent until proven guilty. That is imperative. The reporter should prove the case or apologise. Still, it would be in Israels own best interest (PR wise) to help any such investigation, as it has nothing to hide. I'm sorry if I expressed myself unclearly before.

so, #1, if i write an article about Sweden, a certain group in politics, the royal house, do I get to say whatever?, and you acept that as MY RIGHT to FREEDOM OF SPEECH? I don't think so- you guys would start a lawsuit- and some greedy lawyer would make lots of money.... freedom of speech is not the same as libel... unproven accusations..A private person can say lots of things in a beer hall- but to publish something insulting and WRONG in a daily paper is different. as for the journalist: he/she should be banned from ever writing in a paper again- this is highly unprofessional- it gives journalism a bad name--- The government is responsible for the well being of all citizens and its standing in the world- the Swedish government has distanced itself from this scandal- and is therefore guilty as well...Swedish polititans and FM are wimps- I am exercising MY right to freedom of speech!

It is truly sad to see Sweden being demonized by zealots that do not speak for us all. The very idea of "free speech" is to allow *all* speech, not just the speech you agree with, to be open to all. The fact that some people feel there needs to be censorship of any kind is the absolute opposite of democracy and free speech. The idea you can pick and choose the content of speech for your approval, to further your own ideology , is nothing more than a thuggish mentality.Sweden is one of the most open, free societies in the world and is to be admired, not admonished. Shame on you.

Sweden apologized for the mohammed cartoon and called it blasphamy and said freedom of speech had limits. Sweden also said we are as horrified as the muslim community at it. There are double standards.

according to their cnstitution?What a load of...! Show me a quote of your constitution that say that. This PM is eather an idiot or pretends to be. The anti Semit writer is allowed to have a "opinion" but not a government? In other words if a goverment official CRITIQUE a newspaper article is against a constitution. Please if you can provide a text of this constitution that say it!

I think this is very important. Some people believes in strange things, but in a democracy we must accept all opinions. No matter if we like them or not. Alot of swedes support the palestinians but there is also alot that supports Israel. For us swedes, this has nothing to do with religion, just the political situation in the middle east. For us you are not jews or muslims but palestinians or israelians. It has nothing to do with anti-Semitism.

"so, #1, if i write an article about Sweden, a certain group in politics, the royal house, do I get to say whatever?, and you acept that as MY RIGHT to FREEDOM OF SPEECH? " The thing is, Sweden as a country would probobly protest, but normal people wouldnt care about it. Swedish flags has been burned and we couldnt care less. If people dont like sweden its their problem. But we are not the one that can be attacked, We havnt had a war in like 200 years. I can understand that this is more important for a people under the constant threat of war and terrorist attacks.

Apparently you have a problem of identifying what exactly is anti-Semitism. When a reporter publishes a story of 100% lies about Jewish soldiers harvesting organs- and mentions that the prove for that is the Rabbis arrested in New- Jersey ....THAT IS ANTI-SEMITISM !! Here in Israel we know about freedom of speech , freedom of the press, and bout real democratic values much more than you hypocrites in Sweden, so please don't preach us morality or "freedom of speech". If I publish a story in the number 1 newspaper in Israel that your mother is a prostitute, does that mean that the burden of refuting that is on you, or do I have to prove my allegations ? Do you anything about journalistic integrity in Sweden ?

To you prove in the court that Jews from N.J sold kidneys from Palestinians would be antisemitic too-isn't it?

a freedom of speech and a spread of inflammatory nonsense designed to spread out hatred and discredit a nation in already unstable region. This is not a free speech. This is an offence. Sweedish government doesn't seem to see the difference between the freedom of speech and a pure slander.

What can you expect from the Swedes? In World War One, they were officially "neutral" but in deed pro-Hitler by shipping minerals to aid the German war effort. In the Cold War, they were self-righteously neutral between the Free World and Stalin.

you imbecile left wing jew who's asking sweden for censorship? Any civilized country must condemn overt acts of anti semitic propaganda printed in its largest paper. look up the difference between condemnation and censorship, you blind, half wit, politically correct lemming.

You are so blind, you cannot see. You also know nothing of how the politics in the middle east came to be, and apparently you have no problem with terrorists or terrorism. And by the way, there is NEVER a legitimate reason for terrorism. Unless of course you are Swedish.

It stopped in the 70's because international outrage forced it and sales of Volvos and Saabs were drying up. So their free speech "constitution" is not absolute. As their recent restrictions on Mohammed cartoons proves also. If Sweden wants to resume becoming a center of Goebbels-style anti-Jewish hate literature posing as "news", as they once were, they will find that picking a fight with Jews in 2009 is not as safe as it was in 1939. Obvious first consequence will be total exclusion of Sweden from all mideast peace processes - Israel will simply deal them and their NGOs out of the game, and they can shake their tiny fists from Stockholm. Bildt can save the airfare to Ben Gurion airport - there will be nothing to discuss in Israel but the text of his apology.

Lets write an article to the same Swedish newspaper concerning the raping of Swedish women by Muslim men. Lets see if they will print it.

....everytime an Israeli publication, a memmber of the knesset or a chief Rabbi makes an anti- arab statement? oh wait, there are no racists in Israel just like there are no gays in Iran.

Imagine Lieberman flaming South Korean UN Boss Ban Ki Moon for not officially issuing a condemnation of North Korea. That would be absurd, right? But that's what Lieberman is doing right now in Sweden! Aftonbladet - the newspaper that published the story - dislike Bildt and the present government almost even more than they dislike Israel! They want to see the social democrats - now in opposition - in power. The Social Democrats want to recognize Hamas, something that Aftonbladet also is pushing for. If Bildt condemns Aftonbladet, the only thing it will lead to is that Aftonbladet will push for impeaching Bildt in the constitutional court for impeding freedom of press. Something they might actually succeed with. Arik Sharon always spoke about the importance of knowing the land when engaging the battle. Lieberman seems to not have a clue about the Swedish landscape. Either that, or the man is a complete genius with an ace up his sleeve, because his actions right now are completely incomprehensible for any politically conscious Swede. Right now Aftonbladet seems to be in a win-win situation. Lieberman, what are you up to?

#12 - Note that the Swedish foreign minister was forced to resign after pushing for closing the website publishing the mohammed cartoons. Bildt is not intending to go down the same way.

limits to free speech" , but exonoerate and support freedom that is anti semitic and is straight out of the loons nest, and without proof.