JERUSALEM — Israel summoned the Swedish ambassador to the Foreign Affairs Ministry here on Monday to protest the announcement by the new center-left government in Stockholm that it intended to recognize a state of Palestine.

The prime minister of Sweden, Stefan Lofven, declared in his inaugural address on Friday that Sweden would take the step, without specifying when, though he also emphasized that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be resolved only through negotiations “in accordance with the principles of international law.”

Sweden would be the first major member of the European Union to recognize Palestine, although some East European countries did so during the Cold War, before they joined the union. Israel fears that Swedish recognition could lead other major European countries to follow suit, a trend Israeli officials argued would pre-empt the results of future negotiations over a Palestinian state within agreed borders.

Countering the Israeli criticism, the Swedish foreign minister, Margot Wallstrom, wrote on her Twitter account on Monday that “two less unequal partners would facilitate negotiations.” She added, “We must respect Israeli reaction — but we are prepared to lead the way.”