Israel’s most recent ambassador to Norway left the country in protest last spring after Norway went through with its plans to formally recognize Palestine. He returned earlier this month to collect his things, reported newspaper Aftenposten this week, but left again on Thursday, claiming relations between Norway and Israel are very poor.
“The Norwegian government has chosen sides,” the former ambassador told Aftenposten. “I came to Norway to build bridges, but I’m not able to do my job now.”
It could also have become uncomfortable for him within the diplomatic corps in Oslo, given Israel’s devastation of Gaza, ongoing attacks on Palestinians living in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and its attacks on Lebanon, including a UN operation in Lebanon this week.
The man formally listed as Avrahaim Nir on the Norwegian foreign ministry’s Order of Precedence, was officially received in Oslo in September 2022. He told Aftenposten, which, along with the Israeli Embassy, referred to him as Avi Nir-Feldklein, that he asked to be able to return home to Israel himself.
Norway ‘irrelevant’
Since 146 of the UN’s 193 members have also recognized Palestine, Nir was asked whether all their Israeli ambassadors would also be heading home to Israel. “No,” he responded, adding that it was the timing of Norway’s recognition in May that annoyed him the most. He called it “a gift to Hamas,” adding that any diplomatic solution to the war in the Middle East was impossible as long as Hamas runs the Gaza Strip. Norway has said that its recognition of Palestine was necessary in order to achieve a two-state solution, which Norway also believes is the only way to strike peace in the region.
Nir further called Norway, which has been active in Middle East peace efforts for decades, an “irrelevant partner for Israel.” He claimed that Norway’s current government “doesn’t understand the situation in the Middle East well enough to be able to contribute to negotiations.”
Norway’s foreign ministry responded that Norway continues to believe that a two-state solution is the only possible solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine. State secretary Andreas Kravik of the Labour Party further noted that Norway has repeatedly stated its sympathy for the Israelis following Hamas’ terrorist attack last year and that Israeli has a right to defend itself.
NewsinEnglish.no/Nina Berglund