Oslo has warned Israel that relations between the two countries will be damaged by Jerusalem's decision to revoke the diplomatic status of Norwegian officials who worked with the Palestinian Authority, the Jerusalem Post newspaper reported today, August 8.
"Today's decision will have consequences for our relations with the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. We are considering what measures Norway will take to respond to the situation that the Netanyahu government has now created," Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said on Thursday.
He called Israel's decision "extreme," explaining that it "primarily affects our ability to help the Palestinian population." It is important to ensure that Israel and Norway maintain "well-functioning diplomatic channels," especially in light of significant regional tensions, Eide explained.
Norway is and will always be a friend of Israel and the Israeli people. At the same time, Norway has unequivocally criticized the occupation, the methods by which the Gaza Strip is managed, and the suffering it causes to the Palestinian civilian population.
He spoke after the Israeli Foreign Ministry informed the Norwegian Embassy that diplomats sent to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah could not reside in sovereign Israel, including Tel Aviv.
Israel "informs the Embassy that the State of Israel will no longer assist the Norwegian mission in The Palestinian Authority," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a note sent to the Norwegian Embassy in Tel Aviv.
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