Israel has received a lot of support from many Western and European countries after Hamas’ attack on 7 October, says the country’s ambassador to Norway, Avraham Nir-Feldklein. He still experiences less benefit from Norway, he says to news. – When we look at where the European countries stand on various issues related to our war against Hamas, Norway is always at the bottom and negative, says Nir-Feldklein. – International law is clear about what we are allowed to do and what we are not allowed to do. Israel acts in accordance with the rules of war, says Nir-Feldklein. Norway’s foreign minister, Espen Barth Eide (Ap), points out that Norway has condemned the attack by Hamas. – We have clearly condemned the horrific terrorist attack carried out by Hamas against Israel on 7 October, and we have expressed our deepest condolences to those who have been affected. We have also demanded that the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza be released immediately and without preconditions, says Barth Eide to news. Read the response from Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide in its entirety in the fact box further down in the case. Criticizes UN resolution On Friday, the member countries of the UN voted on a resolution that calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire on the Gaza Strip. 120 voted for, 14 against. 45 chose to abstain from voting. Nir-Feldklein points out that Norway was the only country in the Nordics that voted for the resolution. The United States voted against. Sweden, Denmark and Finland chose to abstain from voting. Avraham Nir-Feldklein, Israel’s ambassador to Norway, believes that Norway differs negatively from other European countries when it comes to criticizing Israel. Photo: Håvard Greger Hagen / news – Norway is usually more critical of Israel than most other European countries, says the ambassador. The ambassador is further adamant that all those who supported the resolution on Friday are in fact asking Israel to surrender. – The text is a compromise between different positions, and then it requires that we also show a willingness to compromise. The most important thing about the resolution was to gather broad support for a ceasefire and humanitarian assistance to people in Gaza, says Foreign Minister Barth Eide. Response from Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide This is the response of Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide (Ap) to the criticism from the Israeli ambassador to Norway, Avraham Nir-Feldklein, on 30 October: We have clearly condemned Hamas’s horrific terrorist attack against Israel on 7 October, and we have expressed our deepest condolences to those affected. We have also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. We recognize Israel’s right to self-defence, while at the same time we have been absolutely clear to Israel that there must be proportionality between the military (and political) goal to be achieved, which is to hit Hamas, and damage to civilians and civil infrastructure. We are also clear that military operations must take place in line with the rules of humanitarian law. Warring parties must take active steps to separate combatants from civilians as far as possible. Attacks on hospitals and health personnel, civilian infrastructure and preventing access to essentials through a full blockade are, for example, not in line with humanitarian law. This applies to all parties to the conflict. The UN resolution that demands a ceasefire and that emergency aid must enter Gaza is a clear message to the people of Gaza and to Israel that we care about the lives and health of the people of Gaza. Norway and several western countries were among the 120 countries that voted for the resolution. We recognize that the resolution does not contain all the elements that we should ideally have included. The text is a compromise between different positions, and then it requires that we too show a willingness to compromise. The most important thing about the resolution was to gather broad support for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. We have a clear voice because we believe the war has gone too far, because we cannot accept that several thousand civilians are killed, among them more than 4,000 children, and because Hamas must release the hostages they are holding in Gaza. We also get involved because we believe that there must be a way out of this dangerous spiral of violence. 30 years after the Oslo Accords, we still believe that a negotiated two-state solution is the only way to achieve lasting peace and democratic rights for both Palestinians and Israelis. We fear that the warfare between Israel and Hamas may contribute to reinforcing existing geopolitical dividing lines, to increased friction in the relationship between Western countries, Arab countries, countries in the south and Russia. This war makes the world more unsafe for all of us. We must do everything we can to stop this development and prevent a regional escalation. We are also concerned about the situation of Jews in many countries. In several places, peace demonstrations have degenerated into anti-Israel demonstrations. We cannot tolerate that Jews in Norway and other countries feel unsafe because of the Israeli government’s behavior in Gaza. Expert: Israel more right-wing Jørgen Jensehaugen at PRIO, an expert on the conflict between Israel and the Arab countries, believes that it is Israel and not Norway that has changed course. – Israel has become a much more right-wing, progressive country in recent years. Norway has stood still, while Israel has moved towards the far right. That is why Norway is becoming more critical, says Jensehaugen to news. Jørgen Jensehaugen in PRIO disagrees that Norway is going too far in pointing out violations of international law in Gaza. Photo: Høyskolen Innlandet – When Israel blockades and bombs a densely populated area so intensely, the criticism the Norwegian government makes is not an expression of being pro-Palestinian, but a reflection of Norwegian classical values and our view on martial law and warfare, says he. In comparison with D-Day, the Ambassador also rejects Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre’s statement that what Israel is now doing in Gaza is in violation of international law. On Sunday, Støre said that the line has been far crossed when it comes to cooperation in the Israeli counter-attacks. What Israel is doing in Gaza now is against the rules of war. This is what Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre says. Nir-Feldklein compares the situation Israel is in now with when the Allies landed in Normandy in 1944. The day is often called D-Day. – If one had listened to those who said that the civilian losses on the road to Berlin would be too great, that one should agree to a cease-fire, then Norway would still be occupied by Nazi Germany. That is the situation I am facing. We are asked to surrender. I won’t be able to do that. On 6 June 1944, American soldiers landed on the beach in Normandy, France. The day became known as D-Day, was the start of the liberation of France. Photo: NTB / NTB Barth Eide says the war has gone too far, and that one cannot accept that several thousand civilians have been killed. – We also get involved because we believe there must be a way out of this dangerous spiral of violence. Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide says the war between Israel and Hamas makes the world more unsafe for everyone. Photo: Beate Oma Dahle / NTB – A pity and unnecessary Nir-Feldklein believes that the media coverage in Norway lacks balance, and that disinformation and “misunderstandings” over several years have made Norway critical of Israel. – It is a shame and unnecessary, he says. Jensehaugen believes that the most problematic thing about media coverage of the conflict is that it tends to stop when there are no new and serious developments. – I see it as more problematic that you do not cover what happens between the major escalations. Israel would have come out worse if the cover had been continuous, Jensehaugen believes. Building in Gaza damaged in Israeli bombardment on 30 October. Journalists are not allowed into Gaza now, but local journalists contribute to the coverage of the situation there. Photo: STRINGER / Reuters Ambassador Nir-Feldklein nevertheless points out that Israel has many friends and supporters, also in Norway. But there has also been a lot of criticism. Nir-Feldklein says that the embassy receives e-mails comparing Israel to Hitler. At the weekend, he himself is said to have received a message that “Hitler was right”. – There is a big difference between being anti-Israel or critical of Israel, and being anti-Semitic, says Nir-Feldklein.
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– Norway is more critical of Israel than other European countries – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
