– I swear to never vote for the Labor Party again in my entire life, if you don’t vote for Palestinian rights. That’s what Jørgen Berg Pedersen writes on Instagram the day before the Storting was actually supposed to vote on the proposal from Rødt on the recognition of Palestine. This post was published by the influencer on his Instagram, the day before the Storting was actually supposed to vote on the recognition of Palestine, Photo: INSTAGRAM / FACSIMILE Until the conflict between Israel and Hamas flared up again at the beginning of October, Pedersen focused on posting entertaining videos and pictures to his nearly 9,000 followers. Then the pictures from Gaza started pouring into his phone. – I have been active on various social media for the past fifteen years. I have never seen such horrible pictures and videos before, he says. – I try to spare myself from the worst, since it affects me so much. It’s absolutely horrifying to see child corpse after child corpse in this way. This has led to him using the platform in the past month to, among other things, mobilize support for Palestinians. – I try to spare myself from the worst, since it affects me so much. It’s absolutely horrible to see child corpse after child corpse in this way, says the influencer to news. Photo: Laik Hanbaly / news Proposal was voted down In the days leading up to the vote, he encouraged his followers to contact parliamentary representatives in the Labor Party to ask them to support Rødt’s proposal. If it had passed, the Norwegian authorities would have had to prepare a recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state. But it didn’t. Instead, the ruling parties Ap and Sp came up with their own proposal to recognize Palestine as a separate state at a “later date”, where recognition could have a positive impact on a peace process. In any case, it has cost the Labor Party one vote for the general election in 2025. – We are in the middle of a live-streamed genocide, and the Labor Party is voting no in recognition of one party. The timing for a recognition could not have been better than now. Ap had the opportunity to give them the thumbs up, but they didn’t. – Then they lost me, says the influencer to news. Recognition of Palestine – Now or later? Rødt’s proposal: The proposal for recognition of Palestine as a separate state and Norwegian adherence to the UN apartheid convention was put forward by representatives Bjørnar Moxnes and Hege Bae Nyholt from Rødt. The proposal contained three points: 1. The Storting asks the government to prepare the recognition of Palestine as its own state. 2. The Storting asks the government to bring forward a case for the Storting on Norwegian adherence to the UN Apartheid Convention (The International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid). 3. The Storting asks the government to ensure a Norwegian ban on goods and services from companies and businesses on occupied land produced in violation of international law. The government’s proposal: The Palestine compromise that was adopted instead of Rødt’s proposal allows for recognizing Palestine as its own state, but at a later date. 83 representatives of the Storting voted for and 15 against. The decision is as follows: “The Storting asks the government to be prepared to recognize Palestine as a separate state at a time when recognition can have a positive impact on a peace process and without reservation on a final peace agreement.” On previous occasions, the Storting majority has put a negotiated peace agreement as a condition for Norwegian recognition of Palestine. The government’s decision goes further and now means that a final peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians is not necessary for Norwegian recognition. Ap: – Has greater ambitions Åsmund Aukrust, foreign policy spokesman in the Labor Party, shares the influencer’s concern for the people of Gaza, but believes it is not appropriate to recognize a Palestinian state now. – We in the Labor Party want Norway to contribute to getting a political process back on its feet in the Middle East. Because the brutal war in Gaza has made it clear that there is no alternative to the peace process and the two-state solution. We cannot tolerate new decades of occupation, war and unresolved conflict, says Aukrust. He believes that Norwegian recognition of Palestine now will make it difficult for Norway to assume such a driving role. – The Labor Party therefore has a clear position, namely that Norway recognizes Palestine at a time when it can contribute positively to a peace process. In other words, we have greater ambitions than just recognizing Palestine now. Our goal is to contribute to the establishment of a viable Palestinian state. We in the Labor Party have worked purposefully on this over several decades, says Aukrust. Working for recognition Although the Labor Party voted down Rødt’s proposal, the party says it wants recognition of a Palestinian state. Usman Mushtaq, former city councilor for work, integration and social services in Oslo municipality, says he thinks it’s sad that Pedersen will not vote Ap in the next election. – I believe that the Labor Party has steered Norway in the right direction in relation to the current conflict. We were one of the first countries to call for a ceasefire, to criticize Israel’s blockade of Gaza, and to have criticized Israel for violating international law. – I think AP has the best Palestine policy, says Usman Mushtaq. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB – Why should people who are involved in the Palestine issue vote for a party that votes down such a proposal? – I think AP has the best Palestine policy. We have been clear that Israel violates international law when they bomb schools and hospitals. Norway has had a forward-leaning policy that stands out from our allies, says Mushtaq. – But I understand very well that people want recognition of Palestine now, I do too, he says to news. Oslo Ap stepped in on Thursday to recognize Palestine as a separate state – without reservation. Thus, Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide lost the battle with his own people in the capital, which thus goes further than what the Labor Party and the Storting have done. – The Labor Party was our highest body to clearly distance itself from this here, and they have not done that, says Pedersen. – The Labor Party was our highest body to clearly distance itself from this here, and they have not done so. Photo: Laik Hanbaly / news – Labor Party has no voters to lose The municipal and county council elections this year have been a historic defeat for Labor Party. For the first time in almost 100 years, the Labor Party is not the largest in an election. – For some voter groups, the Israel-Palestine conflict is very important. Perhaps even defining what they think about politics and how they vote. That is what election researcher at the Institute for Social Research, Johannes Bergh, told news. He says that the Labor Party has no voters to lose, and that the party has already lost many voters to SV and Rødt. Some voters can evaluate the parties based on where they stand in relation to the conflict currently unfolding in the Middle East, says electoral researcher Johannes Bergh. Photo: Martha Linnea Pukallus / Martha Linnea Pukallus – This is an issue many people have strong opinions about. This means that it is absolutely possible that the Labor Party will lose voters to Rødt and SV because of this case, he says. – But how decisive will this be in two years? – Basically, foreign policy matters do not mean that much to Norwegian voters. It is not usually a top issue at an election, but right now there are many people who are concerned with this, and perhaps evaluate the parties based on how they position themselves for the conflict that is currently going on in the Middle East, says the election researcher.
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Swears that he will never vote Ap again – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
