Norway is good. Norway is fair, balanced and unbiased. Norway is bold little viking state, virtuous in itself, and doubly so as Norway also seeks to export Norwegian virtues to the rest of the world, which stands in awe of us. At least, this is what they teach us at school.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman seems less convinced. Mr. Lieberman has criticized Norway twice in the recent days, and according to Haaretz (see below) even suggested that some of Norway’s functions in the region ought to be reappraised. Does Mr. Lieberman have a point?
When we examine the facts and figures of Norway’s role in the Middle East, it may look as if our role consists of criticizing Israel while feeding money to her enemies. When we look at the Norwegian debate, we see the much bandied claim of Norwegian debate being “fair” as opposed to the ME debate in the USA, which we are told is under the thumb of the Israel-lobby. The possibility that the Norwegian debate is under the thumb of the Norwegian Palestine-lobby is never even mentioned.
Excerpt from Haaretz, by journalist Barak Ravid:
Lieberman: Norway too ‘hostile’ to have monitors in Hebron
Israel should consider ousting Norwegian monitors from Hebron due to Oslo’s “hostility” toward Israel, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told the cabinet Thursday.
An overall reassessment of Israel’s relationship with Norway is needed, he argued, and expelling the monitors could be one element of this. The monitors are part of an international observer group, the Temporary International Presence in Hebron. TIPH was introduced into the city in 1994, by agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, after Baruch Goldstein massacred 29 Muslim worshipers at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron.
At a meeting last week with Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Lieberman protested Oslo’s contacts with Hamas, as well as the celebrations Norway is sponsoring in honor of the 100th birthday of writer Knut Hamsun, who supported the Nazis during World War II. Of all the foreign ministers he met with in New York, Lieberman told the cabinet, this meeting was the most difficult, because “the Norwegians take a very hostile line against us.”
