Going back about 8 weeks or so, a story much commented upon both here and elsewhere was the one where it transpired that Norway declined a request from Israel to receive a delegation to study the Norwegian oil industry, its technology and strategies. The following story may explain this puzzling rejection by Norway, we...
Norway, Israel and the Jews
- The Norwegian Government’s hypocrisy re-exposed: “the most evil company in the world” is the second largest share holder in “Norsk Hydro”The Norwegian Government’s hypocrisy re-exposed: “the most evil company in the world” is the second largest share holder in “Norsk Hydro” Brazilian Vale, which Norwegian Hydro has a tight partnership with, only accepts the bare minimum of social responsibility, according to a new poll where Greenpeace ranked the Norwegian Hydro partner as the “the world’s mo […]
- VG’s Hanne Skartveit: the great betrayalLifted from VG. Applause to Skartveit for this eminent oped The great betrayal Synagogue OSLO (AP) We were unable to protect our Jewish compatriots during the war. And today we are unable to give them the security they need. Do we simply not care? OpEd by Hanne Skartveit In the street where I lived for some years, just outside Washington, DC, we had a neighb […]
- One week after PM’s reassurance that nobody should live in fear in Norway – Justice Minister Grete Faremo to reassess Jewish community’s security needsLifted from Dagbladet, but also mentioned in other media. Faremo to reassess Synagogue security needs – Is in constant contact with police and the Police Security Services. The Minister of Justice Grete Faremo (Labour) is reviewing the safety precautions in place for the Synagogue in Oslo, and is in constant contact with the police and the police and the sec […]
- Rockets over Israel go untoldWhile the Norwegian media rightly now focuses on the ongoing atrocities in Syria, and even our FM has felt compelled to politely tell the naughty Assad regime off for the continuing blood bath, one may perhaps be sympathetic to editors’s decision to not cover news from Israel. However, since coverage of Israel continues to be tendentious and one-eyed, one mu […]
- Norwegian support for Israel at record highLifted 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 f […]
- Norwegian People’s Aid failure to report on SyriaAt a time when the rest of the world are slowly, ever so gradually starting to notice the atrocities that go on in Syria (but also many other places on our beautiful planet), one would have thought that the Norwegian People’s Aid would at least have mentioned the word Syria, somewhere, anywhere, on its web pages. But nope, not a word, yet NRK, who cannot fin […]
- The PMs Holocaust Memorial Day speech in full“Dear all, This year marks 70 years since the “Danube” cast off from this quay, and embarked on a voyage of shame . 532 Jews were brutally stowed on board. Only nine returned. One of them was Samuel Steinmann. He is the last survivor. I’m especially glad you are here with us. Today we remember the millions of innocent people who were wiped out in History’s m […]
- Our deepest regret this could happen on Norwegian soilFinally, the first real step towards acknowledging our own role in the tragedy. Only after accepting responsibility, can the hard work of forgiveness and the arduous task of reconstructing relations begin. Lifted from Aftenposten (by Elisabeth Rodum and Halvor Hegtun) PM Jens Stoltenberg (Labour) deeply regretted the deportation of Norwegian Jews at the Holo […]
- Holocaust commemoration ceremony today at 1500 hrs in OsloLifted from Dagen.no, but also covered most other news outlets. For more details on the event itself, you can go to http://www.holocaustdagen.no/ Thinks Jens will apologize to the Jews Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg is expected to come up with a form of apology to the Norwegian Jews during the International Holocaust Remembrance Day today. Bjørn Arild Hatle […]
- Mixed signals from Norway as Holocaust commemoration ceremony is expected to bring a much awaited formal apology from Norway to its Jewish communityToday, at 3 PM, our PM Jens Stoltenberg is widely expected to officially and formally apologize to the Norwegian Jewish community for the state sponsored persecution and murder of Norwegian citizens with a Jewish background during the WWII. Whatever form that eventual apology finally would be presented as, does not detract from the perception that Norway con […]
Development Aid
Success for the Norwegian Refugee Council in Lebanon
I am genuinely pleased for the Palestinians in question who now will get their homes reconstructed. However, what is missed from the presentation here, is why the refugee camp was razed in the first place. Could it be that as it was an internal matter in Lebanon, who only tolerate their Palestinians as long...
Norwegian People’s Aid Christmas campaign: Bring the Palestinians home, kick the Jews out.
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THOSE NICE WORDS BY NORSK FOLKEHJELP? MIFF 2011 12 07 Conrad Myrland Summary. Norwegian Pro-Israeli website MIFF publishes a letter received from an anguished Norwegian, Jewish woman. The letter is an appeal by Norsk Folkehjelp, Norwegian People’s Aid, for economic support. The text on the envelope was this: “This...
Norway wants to learn from its mistakes in peace brokering in Sri Lanka
Report: The Sri Lankan peace process failed; Minister of the Environment and International Development Erik Solheim brags he thinks Norway has done a good job. Sri Lankan Tamil Tigers were massacred in 2009, UN charges both rebels and Sri Lankan government of war crimes! I guess the good news is that Norway at all...
Union, Norwegian People’s Aid and Norad issue propaganda pamphlet on Palestina, call for “return of refugees”
No more than 3 days ago, did Liv Tørres the general secretary of the Norwegian People’s Aid say the following in relation to the call for boycotting the annual telethon - The Telethon engages very many and contributes to clearing mines and cluster bombs in 6 countries. The goal of this telethon unites many congregations....
Anti-Semitic exhibition that was sponsored by Norwegian Church Aid removed after student protests
Yesterday we reported on an anti-Semitic exhibition at Nesbru High School, and how the school, at the time the local newspaper – Budstikka – wrote the story, had not yet decided whether or not to remove the entire exhibition. Miff.no brings us the latest developments (unauthorized translation): Demonization of Israel removed after student protests...
Secret diaries from Oslo
A friend sent me a mail today, with a link to an article by Barry Rubin. In fact the same link as Eric R has shared. I am sure most of you have read it, but just in case, you can read it here – it transpires that eyebrows have been raised in important...
Welcoming South-Sudan into the family of Nations
Today is a day of joy for the people of South Sudan. After one of the most protracted and bloody civil wars on the African continent, with more than 2 million war casualties and over 4 million displaced people, the formal declaration of independence took place yesterday, following the over-whelming referendum where 99% of...
Spot the errors!
Have a closer look at this map, it features the 17 most oppressive states in the world. According to Aftenposten, who nicked the story from the US based Freedom House. According to this paper, a stunning 1,6 billion of our fellow human inhabitants on this beautiful planet called Earth, do not enjoy basic civic or...
Gaza-Chaudry calls Progress Party racist – calls Muslims “Jews”
As our unelected Parliamentary Vice president Akhtar Chaudry (Socialist Left) prepares his bags to travel to the opening of the new swish shopping mall in Gaza (there cannot possibly be any other reason to go, the Red Cross has cancelled the so-called humanitarian crisis), he does take some time out to talk nonsense in public....
1 dead, 39 injured in Jerusalem; 4 explosions in Ashkelon, Hamas cheers
It is laudable that PA prime minister Fayyad now condemns these attacks, but condemning after the fact is not the same as preventing the terrorism in the first place Speaking one way in English, another in Arabic also cuts no ice, we are up to over 60 incidents of terror in less than 2...
50 bombs a day keeps the press corps away
Obviously, on a scale from 1 – 10, events unfolding in Libya, Japan; mounting pressure in Syria, Yemen, Saudi are very valid reasons for press to momentarily have abandoned their otherwise pathological obsession with Israel. On the other hand, maybe the news of more than 50 rockets launched against civil targets in Israel proper...
Norway and the Itamar murders
Norway has condemned the murder of an Israeli family on the West Bank. Perhaps we should go further. Perhaps we should acknowledge that in our own little, well-intended way, Norway shares a certain responsibility. The clip above shows how PA television glorifies terrorist Dalal Mughrabi. Sadly, this sort of propaganda appears to be standard...
Latma lampoons Norwegian embassy scandal, NGO funding
We Norwegians are no dumdums but sometimes the pure viciousness of life makes us confused and angry. Often, and for no particular good reason, we are instructed to be angry with Israel. Latma pokes us in the ribs twice (above), over support to NGOs and the embassy scandal. In one of the scenes we...
Erik Solheim happy to be compared with Deng Xiaoping
Minister of Development Erik Solheim (Socialist Left) recently stated that Deng Xiaoping deserves a “peace and development prize”. Solheim now adds that futhermore, he does not mind being compared with Deng Xiaoping. These statements would worry the Norwegian population more if we were less used to them. It would not be so bad if...
Disingenuous Norwegian Church Aid
Vårt Land brings us today a that the Secretary General of Norwegian Church Aid thinks Norway should protest against an Israeli law proposal that would ban Israeli proponents of Israel boycott. He cites 40 Israeli human rights organizations that protest this proposal, who also claim that such a law would diminish human right works...
Not in Norwegian news: Human Rights Watch calls for cuts in funding… of PA
In an unprecedented press statement the HRW faults the PA for not dealing with cases of torture. As we frequently aim our guns at the HRW’s very selective approach towards the ME conflict, I would just want to applaud this rare display of impartiality, of seriously investigating and condemning serious breaches of human, civic...
Norway finances campaign presenting female terrorists as role models
Dalal Mughrabi killed 37 civilians, women and children. The “White Hands” campaign holds her up a role model for Arab women. The campaign is financed by UNFPA. UNFPA is financed by Norway. Norway MFA meets with UNFPA today. Read on. Follow the links to the items above (click to enlarge) and you will find...
Norwegian aid money lost in transaction…
Aftenposten presents us today with a most interesting article on the fate of financial aid to developing countries. The general gist of the article is that a lot of the money Norway gives in direct financial aid to many countries, never actually reach their intended destination, but is siphoned off and finds its way...