Israel revokes Norwegian diplomats’ status in continued feud
As an increasing number of countries have come to recognise the Palestinian state, Israel has accused such nations of anti-Israeli conduct and sought to punish those who do not follow its worldview.
One of the countries that has recently fallen into Tel Aviv’s crosshairs is Norway, which has seen eight of its envoys’ diplomatic status revoked whilst working as representatives to the Palestinian Authority on August 8th according to Reuters and agencies.
Norway’s recognition of a Palestinian state is what caused the accreditation to be cancelled, said Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz.
Katz accused the Scandinavian country of conducting a “one-sided policy on the Palestinian issue” for which it will “now be removed from”, according to his latest statement.
Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide called the move “an extreme act” and blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for the diplomatic spat.
READ: Israel almost finished with Hamas operation in Gaza
“This is an extreme act that primarily affects our ability to help the Palestinian population … Today’s decision will have consequences for our relationship with the Netanyahu government,” said Eide.
The Palestinian Authority also condemned the decision, labelling it a “violation and breach of international laws.”
Hussein Al-Sheikh, who serves as General Secretary of President Mahmoud Abbas’s Palestinian Liberation Organisation, posted on X stating, “he decision of the Israeli foreign ministry regarding the Norwegian mission in Palestine has dangerous dimensions and carries major repercussions,”
Nations such as Spain and Ireland joined Norway in officially recognising the Palestinian state in May in the hope that it would accelerate efforts to secure a ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
The Israeli government, however, have not taken kindly to such moves, stating that it had bolstered support for Hamas, who had led the deadly October 7th attacks on Israel, which triggered the war in the Gaza strip that continues today.
READ: Yahya Sinwar chosen as new leader of Hamas in show of defiance
Israel had also stopped transferring Palestinian tax revenues to Oslo to punish Norway for recognising Palestine. According to measures established in the Oslo Accords, the funds are meant to be transferred to the PA afterwards; however, Israel has refused to transfer the share allocated for Gaza since November 2023.
Following a settlement in January 2024, an agreement was reached whereby Israel would transfer Gaza’s share of funds to a Norwegian-based trust account. However, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has ceased all transfers to Oslo, adding that the funds will be “retrieved.”
Norway helped negotiate the Oslo Accords in the 1990s, which was seen as the beginning of the peace process between Israel and Palestine.
Though the thought of such peace remains elusive, as seen with recent events in Gaza, the Nordic country still chairs the international donor group to the Palestinians.
Oslo had long argued that a two-state solution could only be achieved through dialogue rather than a unilateral approach but eventually lost confidence in this strategy.
Reuters and agencies
