Lifted from Vårt Land

Record Norwegian support to Israel

More Norwegians buy Israeli goods, provide financial support and join the pro-Israel organizations.

By: Lise Marit Kalstad and Olav Solvang

Norway set a new record in the import of goods from Israel in 2011. In the last year Norway purchased Israeli goods for NOK 722 million, the corresponding number for 2010 was NOK 653 million, the newspaper Norway Today writes. Also the Norwegian exports to Israel increased, according to figures from Statistics Norway (SSB).
- The main reason for the increase is that the Israelis produce high quality products in a number of areas, says the leader Dag Abrahamsen in the Norwegian-Israeli Chamber of Commerce to Norway Today.

Increased involvement.

Abrahamsen points at the same time that the Norwegian trade with Israel is not particularly high yet.

- It is gratifying that the amount increases, but on the other hand, we have still a long way to go before we are in line with our Scandinavian neighbors, he said.

The organization With Israel for Peace (MIFF) has nearly tripled its membership over the past five years. They now have over 5,300 members, and the goal is to round 6000 before the summer.

- This is a reflection of an increased commitment among the people. We see that more and more people are so angered by the injustice Israel is exposed to that they will support opposing forces that defend and explain Israel’s position, says CEO Conrad Myrland of MIFF.

Clearer debate.

Norwegians have also turned up their generosity to various organizations that support Israel. The newspaper Dagen has seen 15 different players that support Israel, and reports that several of these have increased their income from donations. Together they received NOK 59.7 million in donations last year.

Leader of Socialist Youth (SU) Olav Magnus Linge think the increased support for Israel is due to debate related to  the country’s role in the Middle East has been clearer in recent years.

- Naturally, those who support Israel have mobilized. At the same time, I find that that the campaign to end to the occupation has solid support in the majority of the Norwegian people, and especially among the youth.

Verbal warnings.

Nevertheless, Linge accepts criticism that the campaign for boycott of Israel has not turned out as they had hoped.

- Has the campaign been too simplistic?

- The climate for the debate has changed in recent years, it has become clearer. But here in the Socialistic Youth we are also committed to not offending people. We have also highlighted that there is a distinction between Israeli policy and the Israeli people, who we wish all the best.

The leader of the Socialistic Youth has the following message to MIFF leader Conrad Myrland , which claims the growth in membership is because their people are angered by the injusticeIsrael has been subjected to:

- MIFF typically accepts everything Israel does. By doing so they turn matter up-side down: On the contrary,  Israel has been let very easily off the hook for the the way they act in the West Bank. They have received verbal rebuke from the UN, where in stead they should have been harshly sanctioned  says Olav Magnus Linge.

In 2011 Norway imported goods from Israel for NOK 722 million
In 2010 Norway purchased Israeli goods worth NOK 653 million.
The increase from 2010 to 2011 is 10.7 percent.
In 2011, Norway exported goods to Israel worth NOK 622 million. It is the highest result in ten years.
In 2010, the Norwegian export amounted to Israel of 588 million.
The organization With Israel for Peace has almost tripled its membership over the past five years.
15 pro-Israel organizations received a total of NOK 59.7 million in donations last year.

Source: Norway Today, Dagen.

I am delighted that Mr. Linge has discovered that lies and distortions usually backfire. So let me just help him remember some unfortunate turns of phrases which eminently shows how also the Socialistic Youth regularly use terms and expressions or participation in events which are covered by the EU definition of anti-Semitsm.

Here is a little something from the SU web site to make our heads spin. By the way, clever them, they have taken much of their policies regarding Israel off the open access web, but hide them by restricting access only to their own members. Are they afraid their ideas don’t stand up to scrutiny?

Meeting  the Apartheid State
- We have seen something that Israel does not want to show to the world, Thea Schjødt and Nora Ibrahim write. They traveled to Palestine on behalf  SU in April.
Monday 19th May 2008
It is 0530 in the morning, Nora and Thea are taken, one by one, for questioning at the Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, where we have arrived as a delegation from the SU. The Israeli police does not trust that we have just the harmless plans as we claim, and hold us back for several hours and grill us on the content of our program.

It is clear that once you intend to not only to visit the holy churches or lie on the beach in Tel Aviv, you are suddenly a potential enemy. The State of Israel has in fact much to hide. We are finally let in, and thus the opportunity to see just some of what Israel does not want to show to the world. We realize that our unpleasant encounter with Israeli security police is nothing compared to the outrageous harassment and oppression of the Palestinians experience every day. On our journey we have met many people and heard them talk about their situation.

We have heard stories of Palestinians who are at checkpointen and waiting to get through, when two female Israeli checkpoint guards line up in front of them and have sex.

We have talked with Palestinian activists who have been imprisoned just for sticking up political posters.

An old lady in a refugee camp in Tulkarm said that Israeli soldiers stormed the house where she lives and mixed detergent into the ration of sugar and flour which the family had received from the UN.

We have heard the Palestinian headmaster tell that a teacher every day must ensure that students do not go outside the school grounds. They have repeatedly found that students have been arrested just for moving beyond the small playground.

The stories are endless. The individual stories are not random, but adds to a picture of a crazy Israeli system, steeped in systematic discrimination in everything from the checkpoints, the apartheid wall and their suspicion of people who wants to have a closer look at their democracy.

Boycott apartheid, free Palestine!

With comeradely regards, Thea and Nora

This, dear Linge, reeks of rancid anti-Semitism, and is very representative of your argumentation. Go on, check it against the EU definition of anti-Semitism and prove me wrong.

The Socialistic Youth local representation in Trondheim also supported the infamous and hysterically anti-Semitic  PALCOM Gilad Atzmon event at NTNU, so that rather tears another great lump out of Mr. Linge’s already shredded credibility.

It is a very good thing indeed that your rancid hate speech finally is starting to be exposed. I look forward to the next election when the remaining corpse of your mother organization Socialistic Left party will be voted out of existence.