Almost as certain as death and taxes, NRK will not let any opportunity pass by to portray Jews as victims or Israelis as whiners.
NRK Østlandssendingen headlines a piece with “The Israeli embassy feels discriminated,” and goes on to cover the Israeli embassy’s alleged whining over not being able to find a suitable location for its embassy.
NRK makes its best to make it all sound like whining, but a careful reading of the article will give some impression of what the issues are.
The municipal government of Oslo has demanded that Israel remove an essential part of its much needed security perimeter, namely the fence that surrounds the embassy. The fence is not an eyesore: most likely the neighbors got tired of the demonstrations, the threat of riots, and Oslo has a history of ducking the disadvantages of being the capital city.
It’s hard to know whether NRK has cherry-picked quotes to strengthen the whining impression, but it’s pretty clear that neither Roar Sandnes (the realtor organization) nor Frode Andersen (the Norwegian MFA) think that Israel has much to complain about. They claim to have been very helpful to Israel through the years.
The Norwegian government has an obligation under international law to ensure that foreign embassies are properly accommodated and to protect the embassies’ perimeters.
It is obvious that the MFA’s unfriendly and inhospitable posture in this matter is part of Norway’s policy toward Israel in general: to pretend there is dialogue, but make it clear with actions that Israel will be maligned at every turn.
The Israeli government should turn the tables on Norway and inform that the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will either use its good offices to secure a location that fulfills certain specific requirements and at a reasonable price; or Israel will just have to a) shut down the Oslo embassy and move its functions to Copenhagen and b) reconsider its approach to Norway’s embassies in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
And since Norway refuses to recognize Israel’s sovereign right to establish its capital wherever it wants, one approach might be to offer Norway prime real estate for its embassy in Sderot.
Prof, I’m not sure who Kafka is. But, congratulations on your choice!
Only one thing about Sderot. That little town is far too good. Open an embassy just over the border in Aza (Gaza), is far more effective for both, surely?
I agree with Martin
After seeing the pic on Aftenposten, I am left open-mouthed and speechless. It’s astounding! I mean, there is nothing, not the slightest problem with that innocuous fence. Just see how the British Embassy is guarded with tons of concrete, just like the Americans, in the evry middle of Budapest. It’s cmore than clear that unadulterated hatred and nothing else is behind all this. I totally support the conclusions in this blog at the end.
1 more thg: alhough it would be more than pretentious to send this piece as a recommendation to the Israelis at the Embassy in Oslo, still I think it would not be useless to show them that yes indeed there are those who think that doing something finally, finally! is vastly in order and it’s not something that is a stupid idea at all.
Martin Franz Kafka was a Jewish literary giant. You must read his works.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Kafka
Whilst Herbert has provided the details on the real Kafka, let me tell you that our Kafka is an old friend who drops by from time to time. Who knows, if you ask nicely, maybe he (or is it a she?) will grace us with a new visit in the near future?
McG. Ah “your” Kafka writes here. OK
Kafka, I implore you to drop in more oftem, please!
I stayed at a hotel in Tel Aviv directly opposite the US embassy. It too had anti terrorist measures in place, as it does in London. It proves that the beef against Israel has nothing to do with security. Obviously the elite don’t want Israeli representation. So sod ‘em all.
I just thought of something. As Norwegian shooters are too scared to to to Israel, there is a solution. They can stand guard at the embassy and place a shooting range in front of ther embassy and show off their skills there.
If that becomes too stressful, they can always go to Gaza, Syria or Lebanon, where their strategic friends and allies Fatah, Hamas and Hezbullah will appreciate their protection. After all, Norwegian UN “peackeepers” love their friends so much and dislike the Israelis, who are real soldiers, unlike “peacekeepers.”
I have no idea why the city has any jurisdiction over what Israel puts or does not out around their property. They own it and are a sovereign country. I don’t understand why they don’t tel the city to fuck off
Can anyone find photos of the fences around the Norwegian embassies of Saudi Arabia, Iran and or Russia? I am sure they would make an interesting comparison
“Can anyone find photos of the fences around the Norwegian embassies of Saudi Arabia, Iran and or Russia? I am sure they would make an interesting comparison” In fact YES! I support it, let’s all see the pics! If we ask Kafka or McG. nicely, they may show pics for us…
Hi FG, I googled your request. The Norway Embassy is situated at 7 Ulitsa Povarskaya, Moscow 131940. The picture shows a quaint building with glag hanging limply, a security shed outside, with no parking signs. No trouble expected there then.
Unfortunately FG, Norway’s superb conspirators operating from Saudia Arabia, Iran and Syria apparently do not allow Google, unlike Israel. The site was unable to show roads aor indeed to drag the yellow man to any street. How strange, Norway’s Arab/Muslim bedfellows don’t appear to share the Norwegian perception of supposed democracy. Hmm, strange or what?
Martin Thanks