The experts have worked on behalf of the UN Office for Human Rights, and have looked at which states and companies are selling weapons to Israel in connection with the war in Gaza. They believe that such actors can be held responsible for violations of human rights. They have drawn up a list of various actors who they believe could be held responsible for human rights violations due to the deliveries. – By sending weapons, parts, components and ammunition to Israeli forces, these companies risk becoming complicit in serious violations of international human rights and international law, write the experts. They refer, among other things, to the proceedings against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) who is requesting arrest warrants for Israeli politicians and Hamas leaders. – In this context, transfers of weapons to Israel can still be seen as deliberate assistance to operations that are in violation of international human rights. Investors can also be responsible The experts also mention several examples of financial players who invest in these weapons companies. Among those on the list of companies they believe must get rid of such investments is Norges Bank Investment Fund, which runs the Oil Fund, or the Government Pension Fund abroad, as it is formally called. The expert group believes that investors can also be held responsible. – Weapons start, maintain, exacerbate and prolong armed conflicts and other forms of oppression. Access to weapons is therefore an important condition for war crimes and for violations of human rights to be committed, write the expert group. Follows closely It is the Ethics Council that assesses whether the investments in the Oil Fund are in line with the guidelines. They can also advise Norges Bank to close and exclude companies that do not meet the criteria. The war on the Gaza Strip is something the council spends a lot of time on now, and was also dealt with in the annual report for 2023, which came out in March. – We have been following the situation for a while, and we are happy that there is information about a company that may have sold weapons that are used in violation of international law in Gaza, says head of the secretariat Eli Ane Lund to news. She says it has received many different reports and lists of companies that are said to have supplied weapons and ammunition to Israel. But before the Ethics Council can give to Noregs Bank, they carefully go through each individual company. – We go in and investigate what weapons are involved, and when the delivery was made. We must also investigate whether there are weapons used in Gaza or in Israel’s general defense. Many arms manufacturers are already excluded. It is the Storting that has drawn up the guidelines for the Oljefondet to invest according to. And there is no question of a general exclusion of the arms industry. Nevertheless, many companies that make weapons and ammunition are already off the Oil Fund’s list. – We have many criteria to follow. Among other things, the production of nuclear weapons and cluster munitions is part of the basis for exclusion. This means that many of the companies on the lists are already excluded from the fund because of this, says Lund. Published 21.06.2024, at 15.43 Updated 21.06.2024, at 15.44
ttn-69
Asks the Oil Fund to cut off arms manufacturers that sell to Israel
