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Livni voices support for Israel envoy in Sweden after shoe thrown at him
By Cnaan Liphshiz, Haaretz Correspondent

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Thursday threw her support behind Israel's ambassador to Sweden, a day after hecklers threw a shoe and books at him while he was delivering a speech in Stockholm.

Livni phoned envoy Benny Dagan, urging him "not to be deterred" by the attacks against him.

Stockholm Police on Wednesday arrested the two assailants who threw a shoe and two books at Dagan, while he was delivering an address at the city's university.
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A spokesperson for the Israeli foreign ministry said the ambassador was speaking in the afternoon about the upcoming elections in Israel, when the objects were hurled at him from the audience of 50 people.

Joakim Caryll, press officer of the Stockholm Police, said that one heckler threw the shoe, and the other hurled "one or two books." The foreign ministry spokesperson, Lior Hayat, said the objects did not hit the ambassador.

When contacted by Haaretz, Dagan said he could not comment on the case since it is the subject of a police investigation.

The two alleged perpetrators are suspected of battery or attempt of battery, police said, and were questioned by the police at Södermalm station. The lecture continued after the attack, but was once again disturbed as Dagan was getting ready to conclude.

After the incident, Dagan said it was connected to "an atmosphere among extremists, which draws from baseless accusations against Israel, including in the media." He added: "Such incidents will not deter me from leaving the embassy to see our target audiences. Our presence is important for Israel's many friends in Sweden. Keeping us locked inside the embassy is exactly what the hecklers want."

Israel's former ambassador to Sweden, Zvi Mazel, told Haaretz that although he attended "tense discussions" in Sweden, at no point did he feel physically threatened. "This incident is a new development," he said.

Mazel recalled one address which he delivered in the height of the intifada in 2003 on "Palestine Day," before a predominantly-Arab crowd of 150 listeners. "We argued and they accused Israel of horrible things but at no point did I feel physically threatened," he said.

Mazel added that "extreme hostility to Israel" from the media and from government brought him to interfere in 2004 with a Stockholm museum art display which he believed celebrated Palestinian suicide bombers. The incident caused a diplomatic row between Israel and Sweden.

The display showed a boat floating in a pool of red liquid with a smiling portrait of Palestinian suicide bomber Hanadi Jaradat, who murdered 21 people and injured 51 others at the Maxim restaurant in Haifa.

Mazel unplugged the display's lights, an action later backed and justified by former prime minister Ariel Sharon. Mazel retired several weeks later.
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  1.   If you throw a shoe... 07:22  |  Noach 05/02/09
  2.   They have an opinion ? 07:44  |  Lance 05/02/09
  3.   Where is the brain located 07:46  |  Dr. Jack 05/02/09
  4.   Ridiculous 07:51  |  Liat 05/02/09
  5.   Books instead of bullets! 09:03  |  Stem Cell 05/02/09
  6.   Get ready for more 09:08  |  Clickfool 05/02/09
  7.   It starts with small acts of conscience 09:15  |  Ben 05/02/09
  8.   Video from the shoe-throwing 09:40  |  Daniel 05/02/09
  9.   Arab communications taken up in Sweden a unique contribution 09:41  |  PETER SM 05/02/09
  10.   Israels ambassador making the "Bush experience"..... 09:58  |  Swiss (Dino) 05/02/09
  11.   You haven´t seen nothing yet 10:06  |  Juri Gondor 05/02/09
  12.   Throw the idiots in jail 10:16  |  Conroy 05/02/09
  13.   J.GONDOR Neither have you.Keep firing Qassams at civillians 10:45  |  PETER SM 05/02/09
  14.   FROM STROWING BOOKS 11:03  |  Robert 05/02/09
  15.   Be glad the Swedes are only throwing 11:07  |  Chris Linthwaite 05/02/09
  16.   Ref " Where is the brain located...." 11:28  |  Sara 05/02/09
  17.   # 9 PETER SM, to be honest, in the video the protesters.... 11:30  |  Swiss (Dino) 05/02/09
  18.   viva nike 11:46  |  nike co 05/02/09
  19.   If only the IDF had used books and shoes against Gaza 12:18  |  Sole Man 05/02/09
  20.   SWISS read my post again. 12:32  |  PETER SM 05/02/09
  21.   Fetishist tries to solve his problem by throwing it to other 12:58  |  Israeli citizen 05/02/09
  22.   Break out the cast iron Birkenstocks 12:59  |  Natallie Durson 05/02/09
  23.   To no. 1 Noach 13:11  |  tom 05/02/09
  24.   Shoe fetischists try to invent new treatment 13:34  |  israli citizen 05/02/09
  25.   We deserve it 14:02  |  Randy 05/02/09
  26.   To #5 14:05  |  Liat 05/02/09
  27.   To #21 14:10  |  Liat 05/02/09
  28.   I think CLickfool is mistaken 15:23  |  Jackie 05/02/09
  29.   Repect for Israel Is Nonexistent 15:28  |  Yaakov Sullivan 05/02/09
  30.   Yes, Stem Cell... 15:33  |  Ben 05/02/09
  31.   Clickfool # 6. 15:54  |  David Nigel Braham 05/02/09
  32.   Israel an embarrassment to jews of the world 16:13  |  Ben 05/02/09
  33.   PROBABLY NOT 16:23  |  indrajaya 05/02/09
  34.   Juri Gondor 16:25  |  lady from USA 05/02/09
  35.   Swiss (Dino) again 16:52  |  lady from USA 05/02/09
  36.   # 23 Tom, I was making a CROSS CULTURAL comparison 16:54  |  Noach 05/02/09
  37.   The blond sweds you see in the protests are not muslims 16:57  |  Made in sweden 05/02/09
  38.   to 14 Robert 17:03  |  John 05/02/09
  39.   # 32, BEN 17:06  |  indrajaya 05/02/09
  40.   #34 lady from the usa 17:10  |  Yaakov Sullivan 05/02/09
  41.   To 31 David 17:10  |  Noam 05/02/09
  42.   # 37, MADE IN SWEDEN 17:23  |  indrajaya 05/02/09
  43.   # 35 lady from USA 17:37  |  Swiss (Dino) 05/02/09
  44.   indrajaya 17:51  |  Made in sweden 05/02/09
  45.   Shoe throwing 18:39  |  MazalUK 05/02/09
  46.   Some more news 20:39  |  Fay 05/02/09
  47.   #6 Pariah status 22:20  |  frank benjamin 05/02/09
  48.   "baseless accusations" against poor, victimized Israel 22:29  |  peacelover 05/02/09
  49.   nevermind the drama,it`s just muslims showing their ignorance, 22:30  |  terrornator 05/02/09
  50.   : Natallie Durson is 100% rigt 22:41  |  Antonio da Silva 05/02/09
  51.   falling off my chair laughing 22:51  |  Jew 05/02/09
  52.   Made in sweden schizophrenics do not make good suicide bombers 06:20  |  PETER SM 06/02/09
  53.   More shoes, please. 08:56  |  RG 06/02/09
  54.   Islamic culture is comming to Europe 12:48  |  wanchai wong 01/03/09
  55.   But 00:02  |  Shaun 08/03/09
  56.   Re: Where is the brain... 00:13  |  Larry 08/03/09
  57.   Take care 00:17  |  Gus 08/03/09
  58.   True but incomplete 00:21  |  Ron 08/03/09
  59.   Double system 00:25  |  Kirk 08/03/09
  60.   You too?! 00:33  |  Norman 08/03/09
  61.   Swiss Dingo 02:58  |  Jasper 07/04/09
  62.   @ stem cell 03:55  |  Brutus 23/04/09
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