In Proceedings in Aftenposten Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Ede (AFP) wrote on Wednesday:
“We can never tolerate Jews in Norway feeling unsafe because of Israel’s actions in Gaza.”
On Friday evening, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen came out strongly against Barth Eide’s wording, According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
He refuses to formulate
– Responsibility for the safety of Norwegian Jewish citizens lies with the Norwegian authorities, he writes Cohen at X, formerly Twitter.
– The Norwegian authorities have the responsibility to ensure their safety, combat anti-Semitism in the country and implement plans to combat anti-Semitism. Cohen tracks what the government should do in a way that clearly reflects its commitment.
The Israeli Foreign Minister denies that the Norwegian Jews’ feeling of insecurity stems from the Israeli war.
In the article published in Aftenposten, Barth Eide began by urging Israelis and Palestinians to return to the negotiating table when the war is over.
He then explained three Norwegian priorities:
1) Obtaining residency during the war. 2) Ensure humanitarian access to the civilian population in Gaza. 3) Removing Norwegian citizens from Gaza.
Barth Eide then expressed Norway’s view that Israeli military operations against Gaza had gone too far.
Ask for an apology
However, the New York-based human rights organization the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which fights anti-Semitism, is demanding an apology from Barth Eide, Haaretz writes.
The cause of anti-Semitism is anti-Semitism. She said in a statement that Israel’s actions are an excuse for their hatred, not the reason.
Dagbladet submitted Cohen’s criticism to the Foreign Ministry on Friday evening.
They point to him Answer given by Barth Eddy to Cohen on X, formerly Twitterearlier this evening:
We take the security of all our residents seriously, and are working to increase security around our Jewish minority. Jonas Gahr Sture was clear: anti-Semitism is unacceptable, and we are obligated to fight it in all its forms, the Foreign Secretary wrote.
PST: – More vulnerable to terrorism
On Wednesday, PST provided an updated assessment of threats related to Israel’s war against Hamas.
PST believes that Israeli targets in Norway are more vulnerable to terrorism as a result of the war in Gaza, and is asking people to be vigilant and report if they see “something strange.”
Radical Islamists and right-wing extremists are still the biggest threat in this country, now also with the war in the Middle East as a possible cause.
The threat profile remains moderate. “But we consider that the threat to Jewish and Israeli targets in Norway has intensified,” said PST head of the counter-terrorism division Lars Lieleby.
Dagbladet updates the issue.