Norway’s ambassador to Israel drew distinctions between the Oslo and Utoya massacres and Palestinian terrorism.
Svein Sevje said in an Israeli newspaper interview Tuesday that while the Norwergian bomb and gun rampages that killed 76 people and Palestinian attacks should both be considered morally unacceptable, he wanted to “outline the similarity and the difference in the two cases.”
Palestinians, the ambassador told Maariv, “are doing this because of a defined goal that is related to the Israeli occupation. There are elements of revenge against Israel and hatred of Israel. To this you can add the religious element to their actions.”
“In the case of the terror attack in Norway, the murderer had an ideology that says that Norway, particularly the Labor Party, is forgoing Norwegian culture,” Sevje said, referring to suspect Anders Breivik, a Christian nativist who is opently anti-Islam and anti-immigration.
Unlike European Union states, Norway has engaged Hamas and often been fiercely critical of Israel, to Jerusalem’s dismay.
While Sevje voiced sympathy for Israeli terror victims, having experienced “the inferno” of such attacks during his posting, he saw little chance of Norway reviewing its Middle East policies.
“We Norwegians consider the occupation to be the cause of the terror against Israel,” he said. “Those who believe this will not change their mind because of the attack in Oslo.”
He added, “Can Israel and the Palestinians solve the problems without Hamas? I don’t think so.”
If Sevje believes both “types” of attacks are not morally acceptable, why did he feel the need to make the distinction? Sounds to me like he is implying terrorism against Israel is completely understandable.
Also, leaving aside the fact he is utterly wrong – I have proved on here time and time again, the root cause of the terrorism here is not the so-called “occupation” – what kind of person would choose to make this point to a nation beseiged by terrorism, let alone at a time when we offer our shoulder to cry on?
I would suggest Israel reacts to Svein Sevje’s “occupation” of the Norwegian embassy in Tel Aviv and – to quote Avram from the Frisco Kid – shows this poor asshole the way out of town.
A law school graduate, David Lange transitioned from work in the oil and hi-tech industries into fulltime Israel advocacy. He is a respected commentator and Middle East analyst who has often been cited by the mainstream media
A law school graduate, David Lange transitioned from work in the oil and hi-tech industries into fulltime Israel advocacy. He is a respected commentator and Middle East analyst who has often been cited by the mainstream media
