Norway is closing its representation in the West Bank after Israel revoked the status of Norwegian diplomats responsible for the Palestinian territories, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote on X on Sunday.
Katz wrote after Oslo’s decision, “We will act against those who act against us.”
The moves come after Norway, Spain and Ireland decided to recognise a Palestinian state in May.
Israel said the eight Norwegian diplomats whose status was revoked were stationed at the Norwegian embassy in Israel but were responsible for contacts with the Palestinian Authority.
“As a result of the Netanyahu government’s decision to no longer facilitate Norway’s representation to the Palestinian Authority, our Representative Office in Al Ram in Palestine must be closed as of today,” the Norwegian government said in a statement on Friday.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide criticized Israel’s decision as “extreme and unreasonable.”
He said, “this decision seeks to target the Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority and all those who defend international law, the two-state solution and the Palestinians’ legitimate right to self-determination.”
The Norwegian representation in Al-Ram in the West Bank, in operation for around 30 years, is to remain closed until further notice.
Katz said Israel’s decision was due to the “recognition of a Palestinian Hamas state following the massacre on October 7 and [Norway’s] support for the issuance of arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli representatives.”
The Palestinian Authority was established based on the Oslo Accords, which Israel and the Palestinians signed in 1993 after secret talks in the Norwegian capital. The Scandinavian country has since played an important role in the region.
