Israel–Norway relations

Israel–Norway relations are the bilateral relations between Israel and Norway. Norway was one of the first countries to recognize Israel, doing so on 4 February 1949. On 11 May 1949, Norway was one of the U.N. members that voted in the General Assembly to admit Israel to the UN.[1][2]

Israeli-Norwegian relations

Israel
Norway

Both countries established diplomatic relations later that year. Israel has an embassy in Oslo,[3] which serves Norway and Iceland. Norway has an embassy in Tel Aviv[4] and two honorary consulates, one in Eilat and the other in Haifa.

As at January 2009, 553 Israeli citizens lived in Norway and 260 Norwegians lived in Israel.[5][6]

Norway provided the facilities in 1993 to Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) that culminated in the Oslo Accords.

In March 2007, the Norwegian government recognized the Hamas-led 2007 Palestinian unity government, and restoring full political and economic ties, but calling on the Palestinian authorities to renounce violence and recognize Israel's right to exist.[7] The unity government failed to get international support because it did not meet the conditions set by the Quartet. Israel rejected the new Palestinian government and said it will not deal with it unless it recognised Israel, which it refused to do.

In 2010, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry said "Norway considers the Israeli presence in East Jerusalem to be in violation of international law, as does the entire international community."[8]

Country comparison
Norway Israel
Flag
Population 5,312,343 (2018) 8,904,280 (2018)[9]
Area 385,203 km2 (148,728 sq mi) 20,770 km2 (8,019 sq mi)
Population density 15.8/km2 (41/sq mi) 403/km2 (1,044/sq mi)
Capital Oslo Jerusalem
Largest city Oslo 673,469 (1,588,457 Metro) Jerusalem 901,302 (1,253,900 Metro)
Largest metro area Oslo 1,588,457 Tel Aviv-Yafo 3,854,000
Government Constitutional monarchy Parliamentary republic
First head of state Harald Fairhair David Ben-Gurion
Current head of state Harald V of Norway Reuven Rivlin
Official language Norwegian Hebrew
Main religions 71.47% Church of Norway, 2.89% Catholic
0.75% Pentecostal, 0.42% Orthodox, 0.75% Lutheran
2.91% Muslim, 2.41% Other, 16.75% Unaffiliated		 75.4% Jews, 20.89% Muslim, 7.8% others
Ethnic groups 86.2% Norwegians, 0.8% Sami, 0.2% Forest Finns,
0.1% Jews, 0.1% Kvens, 16.8% Immigrants		 75.4% Jews, 20.6% Arab, 4.1% others
GDP (nominal) US$397 billion ($74,065 per capita) US$305 billion ($38,004 per capita)
Military expenditures $7.2 billion (1.6% of GDP) $23.2 billion (7.6% of GDP)
Military troops 22,905 176,500
English speakers 90% 84.97%
Labour forces 2,800,000 4,198,000[10]

Political relations
Prime Minister Levi Eshkol meeting with Foreign Minister John Lyng, 1967.
The Israeli Embassy in Oslo
With Israel for Peace (MIFF) in Oslo
Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, 2018

In 1981, a group of labour union members founded the organization Friends of Israel in the Norwegian Labour Movement (Norwegian: Venner av Israel i Norsk Arbeiderbevegelse). The purpose was to strengthen relations between Norwegian and Israeli labor movement in an informal and personal way. This was done by sending delegations to Israel, and by receiving visitors from Israel.

Israel's ambassador to Oslo was an Israeli Druze poet and university lecturer, Naim Araidi. His deputy was George Deek, a Christian Arab from Jaffa.[11] George Deek became chargé d'affaires at the embassy until the new ambassador Rafael Schultz started his mission in the summer of 2014.[12]

The leader of the third largest political party in Norway, Siv Jensen is a staunch supporter of Israel, and claim to "not [be] afraid to defend Israel's right to defend itself." She visited the Israeli city of Sderot in the summer of 2008, and experienced the landing of a rocket from Hamas first hand, and said that she and others had to "run for the air-raid shelter". She strongly opposed the Norwegian government's decision to recognise Hamas as she holds that "you don't negotiate with terrorists, you just don't."[13] In January 2009, she appeared at a demonstration called "Let Israel live" in Oslo.[14] The Norwegian Police Security Service feared that Jensen might be the target of an attack although Jensen herself was not concerned.[15] While political scientists had speculated that the Progress Party would lose more voters than they would gain by this strong support for Israel,[16][17] polls showed a slight increase in support for the party.[18]

Military relations

According to the media there are a number of Norwegian soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces. In 2007, 24 Norwegian Jews were registered as working for the Israeli military.[19]

In September 2010, after Germany began testing two new Dolphin class submarines for the Israeli Navy, Norway banned them from testing in its territorial waters, due to their possible future role in enforcing the Blockade of the Gaza Strip.[20]

See also

References
  1. John Pike. "Israeli War of Independence". Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  2. Neff, Donald. "Third Time's a Charm: Israel Admitted as U.N. Member in 1949". Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. American Educational Trust (July 2011): 24. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  3. "Israels ambassade i Norge". Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  4. "Norway – the official site in Israel". Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  5. "Table 5 Persons with immigrant background by immigration category, co…". 12 November 2011. Archived from the original on 12 November 2011.
  6. Number of registered at the embassy. Actual numbers are likely higher.
  7. Norway recognizes Palestinian unity government
  8. "Norway concerned over situation in East Jerusalem". regjeringen.no. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 18 January 2010. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  9. . Jewish Voice NY. 31 December 2015 http://jewishvoiceny.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13303:israels-population-reaches-8462000-by-end-of-2015&catid=107:israel&Itemid=290. Retrieved 26 January 2016. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. "Israel - Labor Force". Moody's Analytics. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  11. "Israel Appoints Two Arab Diplomats in Norway".
  12. Keinon, Herb (15 November 2018). "Jewish state appoints Christian envoy to Muslim country". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  13. Bawer, Bruce (December 2008). "A Norwegian Thatcher?". Standpoint. Archived from the original on 28 August 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  14. Fondenes, Eivind (1 September 2009). "- Israels krigføring var også terror". TV2.
  15. "Politiet frykter angrep på Siv Jensen". VG. 8 January 2009.
  16. "- Frps Israel-støtte gir velgertap". Dagbladet. 8 January 2009.
  17. Lilleås, Heidi Schei (9 January 2009). "- Siv spiller høyt". Nettavisen. Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  18. Skarvøy, Lars Joakim (13 January 2009). "Dette kan Siv ha tjent på". Nettavisen. Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  19. "Forsvarets forum » Seksjoner » Aktuelt » Ja, vi elsker Israel". Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  20. "Ynetnews - Homepage".

Sources
  • Paul Engstad Norsk arbeiderbevegelses samarbeid med Israel og innsats for fred i Midtøsten : Israel 50 år 1948-1998. VINA Oslo 1998.
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