Norwegians thronging to protest against Israel following the boarding on May 31st. Photo by NIJ street irregular.
When the IDF enforced the Israeli-Egyptian blockade of Hamas-run Gaza, Norway was up in arms. There were demonstrations and protests and the Palestinakomite reported a massive increase of members. When Israelis are killed on the West Bank however, Norway hardly stirs.
If we compare the two situations we see the following event and reaction.
Event 1: The boarding of the blockade-busters
May 31st: a flotilla of six ships attempted to break the Israeli-Egyptian blockade of Gaza, which has democratically elected an openly genocidal Hamas government which in its charter refers to the anti-Semitic conspiracy theory “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion”. When the ships refused to be inspected they were boarded. On one of the ships, the Mavi Marmara, the crew attacked the IDF soldiers and in the resulting battle, nine of the crew were killed.
Norwegian reaction: Throngs of demonstrators moving on the Israeli embassy, loud protests by prominent Norwegians, renewed calls for boycott and sanction. Palestinakomiteen reports hundreds of new members.
Event 2: The killing of four civilians sitting in a car
August 30th: Four Israeli civilians are killed outside of Hebron on the West Bank. To of the civilians are women. One of them is pregnant. None of the four were engaged in any offensive act of any kind, nor were they violating any law.
Norwegian reaction: A few articles in the newspapers. An official condemnation. Then nothing.
We Norwegians like to think that we are promoting peace in the Middle East, but sadly we are doing the opposite. Again and again we see the same pattern: Norway takes the sides of Israel’s enemies, while ignoring Israel’s legitimate right to secure its population from harm.
Hi and Shalom
I wish to draw your attention to one point. While Palestinakomiteen got 300 more new members after the incident around Mavi Marmara, the MIFF, (a pro Israel organization) increased their number of members more than that, MIFF had 3392 mebers i the end of May 2010. The 25. of August 2010, Miff had 3768 members, an increase of 376 new members. Please stop producing one sided news. Please remember both sides of the story. Their are a lot of pro Israel active friends in Norway too. Kind regards from Kinga
Dear Kinga
You say MIFF got more members than Palestinakomiteen after the Mavi Marmara incident? If you can provide us with a link that would be very helpful.
Yes, Israel has friends in Norway. The point being made in this post is that while we did see prominent Norwegians mobilizing against Israel after the boarding, we do not see the same Norwegians mobilize against terror when Israelis are attacked. Where is Erlend Loe? Where is Kåre Willoch? Hvor har det blitt av alle gutta?
Best
C
Dear C
Thank you for your questions. NRK wrote 10. of June 2010 in an interview with the palestiniena leader of “Palestinakomiteen” in Norway, Line Khateeb: “Palestinakomiteen har fått tre hundre nye medlemmer i løpet av de siste to ukene. Årsaken er debatten etter Israels bording av skip som skulle til Gaza med utstyr.” http://www.nrk.no/programmer/tv/migrapolis/1.7161494
I wrote a commentary in the discussion forum of MIFF, “Paletsinakomiteen – fine ord uten innhold”, translated: “Palestinakomiteen – big words without substance”. I asked also about how many new members MIFF had got during this period. The internet editor and daily manager of the internet news Conrad Myrland answered me: “MIFF hadde 3392 medlemmer i slutten av mai 2010. Per i dag har vi 3768.” “Miff had 3393 members in the end of May 2010. Today (Aug 25, 2010) Miff has 3768 members.” (An increase of 376 new members)
http://www.miff.no/porten/viewtopic.php?t=7624
Her is the main page of Miff: http://www.miff.no/index.htm
You asked for political leaders standing up for Israel. There are some, but the NRK don’t always focus on them. Here you have some standing up for Israel at the Norwegian Parliament “Stortinget”: Israels venner på Stortinget 2005-2009
http://www.miff.no/tema/stortinget/IsraelsVennerPaaStortinget2005-2009.htm
I think everybody in Norway, even many of the members of the Palestinakomiteen, feel sorry for the four young Israelis murdered by Palestinians, although they don’t are willing to realize the reality behind the danger Israel is facing every day, and that their activity in Palestinakomiteen, seems to fuel extremism, and that they don’t really are helping the Palestinians either.
Best Kinga
The call for boycott after Mavi Marmara was canceled: A very naughty article against Israel was posted here:
http://www.frifagbevegelse.no/loaktuelt/kommentar/ytringer/article4283453.ece
I posted my comments also here:
http://www.frifagbevegelse.no/loaktuelt/kommentar/ytringer/article4283453.ece
The boycott by the workers in Norwegian harbors was fortunately canceled. Here is my protest against the boycott, unfornately in Norwegian:
Når jeg har vært i Oslo, har jeg av og til forundret meg over de stygge anti-israelske bannerne som LO har hengende på huset sitt.
Her kommer en artikkel som forvrenger fakta ganske så mye. Når noen hater noe til de grader, så ser man ikke skogen, for bare trær. Ned med LO’s negative og urettferdige holdninger til Israel!
Artikkelen terper videre på regla om at Israel er en okkupasjonsmakt. Men intenrasjonal lov, er ikke så enkel som Israels motstandere og motsandere av jødiske tilstedeværelse i de eldgamle jødefolkets kjerneområder vil ha det til.
Jødene har bodd i området flere tusen år før palestinerne kom dit, og de har også rett til å bo og leve i områder som er utenfor det nåværende snevre Israel, skal det bli fred. Dersom gettho tankegangen skal få fortsette i de eldgamle jødiske kjerneområdene, der de jødiske stamfedrene fremdeles ligger gravlagt, så vil dette skape mer jihad, hat og sorg og strid og urettferdighet, ovenfor en folkegruppe som historien har gitt veldig masse lidelse og urettferdighet.
Skal tostatsløsningen opprettholde urettferdighet mot jøder også i disse eldgamle jødiske områdene? Palestinerne må tåle å se en jøde, uten å gå beserk. Palestinerne må tåle å ha en jødisk nabo også en en eventuell fremtidig palestinsk stat!
Sitat:
“The question about the legality of settlements came from how various legal authorities interpret the applicability of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention relative to civilian persons in times of war. Article 49 of the convention clearly prohibits “mass forcible transfers” of protected persons from occupied territories. Later in the article, it states that “the occupying power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” American interpretations of this article maintained that it referred to forcible deportations that were practiced by the Nazis and not to Israeli settlement activity. During the Bush (41) administration, the U.S. ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Morris Abram, explained that he had been on the U.S. staff during the Nuremberg trials and was hence familiar with the “legislative intent” behind the Fourth Geneva Convention. He stated on February 1, 1990, that it applied to forcible transfers and not to the case of Israeli settlements”.
http://www.jcpa.org/JCPA/Templates/ShowPage.asp?DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=111&FID=442&PID=0&IID=2995
Omtalen av Gaza krigen overser fullstendig Hamas volden mot sivile på begge sider, mot både israeler på den andre siden av grensen og mot den palestinske befolkningen inne i Gaza, som de har ansvar for. Artikkelen overser også fullstendig og nevner ikke, alle Israels forsøk på å skåne og advare sivilbefolkningen i Gaza under Gaza krigen.
Tror tillitsvalgte i LO at krig er noe tannløse greier, som ikke medfører noen lidelse? Hvorfor skal alltid Israel fordømmes med en helt annen målestokk en alle andre? Hvorfor ser man ikke Hamas og jihadistenes voldsherjinger, både mot sine fiender og mot sitt eget folk? ?
Artikkelen lyver også om hermetisk blokade av Gaza, og nevner ikke at Israel har grunner for å nekte å gi Hamas mer stoff til våpen, etter 8 000 raketter mot egen sivilbefolkning fra Gaza. Hamas angrep mot Israels sivilbefolkning, blir bagatelllisert på det groveste, og dette er kvalmende.
Artikkelen sier at Israels naboer stadig har blitt ustatt for overfall fra Israel, men så er det motsatt! Dersom Israel hadde ønsket å krige, hadde landet f.eks ikke valgt Yom Kippur fasten til å krige i, når store deler av Israel faster både fra mat og drikke i mange timer. Israel har gjentatte ganger blitt angrepet og måttet slåss for sin eksistens. Å underslå dette er uærlig. Men det er noen som ofte angriper midt i sine naboers høytider og på deres hellige steder.
Nå vil forfatteren Hallvard Birkeland, ha med seg fagbevegelsen til bokottaksjoner mot Israel.
Måtte han mislykke spå det groveste og hans standpunkter tilbakevises og avsløres som venstresidens ekteskap med jihasitisk løgnpropaganda!
Til slutt vil slike holdninger utsette oss alle for fare, og gjøre at vi behandler både palestinere og jøder på en måte som ikke skaper fred.
Best Kinga
Dear Kinga
Thank you for that information! Strange how I have read several places about how the Palestinakomiteen grows, and nowhere about how MIFF grows. Why is that Palestinakomiteen’s growth is advertised and not MIFF’s?
Christian
Dear Christian
Good question!
Kinga