IN a challenge to Israeli impunity, Norway has recently emerged as one of the first Western states to implement a cohesive and escalating campaign of political, economic, and diplomatic pressure against Israel’s ongoing genocidal assault on Gaza and illegal occupation of Palestinian territory.
Over the last month, Norway has delivered a series of coordinated blows to Israel’s international standing – led by its trade unions, sovereign wealth fund, and government.
These moves reflect a growing political consensus in the country: That support for Palestinian self-determination and opposition to Israel’s flagrant violations of international law must be enforced with consequences.
The most recent development came on 13th May, when Norway’s $1.8 trillion sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, announced its divestment from Israeli fuel supplier Paz Oil.
The decision followed the recommendation of the fund’s Council on Ethics, which found Paz complicit in maintaining Israel’s illegal settlements in the West Bank by operating infrastructure that supplies them with fuel.
‘By operating infrastructure for the supply of fuel to the Israeli settlements on the West Bank, Paz is contributing to their perpetuation,’ the Council stated.
‘The settlements have been established in violation of international law, and their perpetuation constitutes an ongoing violation thereof.’
This is not the fund’s first move of this kind.
In December, it also sold all holdings in Israel’s largest telecoms firm, Bezeq, citing the company’s involvement in the occupied territories.
Together, these divestments signal a harder line by Norway’s financial institutions against complicity in Israeli war crimes.
The Paz divestment came just two days after a historic vote by the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), held during its national congress in Oslo on 8-9th May.
Representing more than a million workers – nearly a fifth of Norway’s population – LO voted overwhelmingly, with 88 per cent of delegates in favour, to enact a full boycott of Israel.
The resolution mandates a ban on trade, investments, cultural, sporting and academic cooperation with any Israeli institutions or companies linked to the occupation.
The union’s demands are sweeping: Immediate and complete divestment by the State Pension Fund, Norwegian companies, and financial institutions from firms complicit in Israel’s occupation; and, should Israel fail to end its occupation by 25th September, for Norway to lead a global economic boycott.
‘This question is more on the agenda now … because of Israel’s policy, attacks and war in Gaza and in the West Bank,’ said LO deputy leader Steinar Krogstad.
He emphasised that the fund ‘should not invest in companies that breach international law’.
The move was welcomed by Palestinian resistance factions, including Hamas, the DFLP and the PFLP.
In a joint wave of statements, they described LO’s action as a ‘courageous step’ and a ‘victory for the rights of the Palestinian people’, urging trade unions worldwide to follow Norway’s lead and intensify international isolation of Israel’s ‘fascist and genocidal’ regime.
The LO’s Palestine Committee hailed the decision as a reflection of overwhelming grassroots support.
According to figures released by the committee, 240 delegates voted for the boycott, with only 69 against.
Norwegian civil society has already moved to enforce the vote.
In April, LO and 47 other organisations submitted a formal letter to Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg demanding immediate divestment by the sovereign fund from any company complicit in the occupation.
At the end of 2024, the fund still held shares in 65 Israeli companies valued at over $2 billion.
The LO has vowed to increase pressure on parliament ahead of its 4th June vote on the fund’s disbursement.
While Norway’s government initially criticised LO’s stance as ‘one-sided’, it conceded that free cultural and academic institutions must be allowed to hold their own views, and has not moved to obstruct the boycott.
This non-interference is distinct compared to the UK and US, where state crackdowns on pro-Palestine activism have grown increasingly authoritarian.
This wave of political rupture did not begin in May.
It is rooted in Norway’s historic decision on 25th April to formally establish diplomatic relations with the State of Palestine.
In a landmark ceremony at the Royal Palace in Oslo, newly appointed Palestinian Ambassador Marie Sedin presented her credentials to King Harald V, marking the full recognition of Palestine by the Norwegian state.
This recognition, first announced on 22nd May last year, was a turning point in Norway’s foreign policy and came as Israel intensified its bombardment of Gaza.
In recognising Palestine, Norwegian officials declared their support for Palestinian independence and the right to statehood, joining 12 other European nations and 148 UN member states in affirming Palestinian sovereignty.
Norway has since become the first European country to publicly confirm it will comply with the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
The ICC has charged both with war crimes and crimes against humanity over their roles in the slaughter in Gaza.
Norwegian officials have confirmed they will arrest the two men should they enter the country.
Israel’s response was swift and vindictive.
It condemned Norway’s recognition of Palestine, recalled its ambassador from Oslo, restricted Norwegian diplomatic operations, and barred the Norwegian foreign minister from visiting.
Israeli officials accused Norway of ‘rewarding terrorism’, a standard line used to deflect growing international condemnation.
Yet this time, the condemnation appears to be falling flat.
The Israeli lobby has been conspicuously silent on the sovereign wealth fund’s divestments – perhaps in an attempt to avoid drawing further attention to the growing economic rejection of the occupation.
The calculated silence marks a notable departure from the usual barrage of denunciations that follow similar actions elsewhere.
Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has previously defended the state’s recognition of Palestine as both a moral and strategic imperative.
In a May op-ed last year, he wrote: ‘There can be no two-state solution without a Palestinian state. Recognition is not a reward. It is a prerequisite for peace.’
He described the Oslo Accords’ framework – where recognition of Palestine was contingent on a future peace deal – as having failed completely.
The present situation, he said, ‘has gone from bad to worse’, with Israel’s illegal settlements and genocidal military campaign having destroyed any viable basis for a Palestinian state.
‘We’ve rarely been as far away from a two-state solution as we are today,’ he wrote, adding: ‘But there has also rarely been broader international support for one.’
Norway now seeks to amplify that momentum, working closely with Saudi Arabia and other European countries to mobilise diplomatic recognition and economic pressure on Israel.
In Gaza, where more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023 and hundreds of thousands more wounded, Norway’s actions have been viewed as a rare instance of meaningful solidarity aside from Yemen.
ENDS
In a challenge to Israeli impunity, Norway has recently emerged as one of the first Western states to implement a cohesive and escalating campaign of political, economic, and diplomatic pressure against Israel’s ongoing genocidal assault on Gaza and illegal occupation of Palestinian territory.
Over the last month, Norway has delivered a series of coordinated blows to Israel’s international standing – led by its trade unions, sovereign wealth fund, and government.
These moves reflect a growing political consensus in the country: That support for Palestinian self-determination and opposition to Israel’s flagrant violations of international law must be enforced with consequences.
The most recent development came on 13th May, when Norway’s $1.8 trillion sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, announced its divestment from Israeli fuel supplier Paz Oil.
The decision followed the recommendation of the fund’s Council on Ethics, which found Paz complicit in maintaining Israel’s illegal settlements in the West Bank by operating infrastructure that supplies them with fuel.
‘By operating infrastructure for the supply of fuel to the Israeli settlements on the West Bank, Paz is contributing to their perpetuation,’ the Council stated.
‘The settlements have been established in violation of international law, and their perpetuation constitutes an ongoing violation thereof.’
This is not the fund’s first move of this kind.
In December, it also sold all holdings in Israel’s largest telecoms firm, Bezeq, citing the company’s involvement in the occupied territories.
Together, these divestments signal a harder line by Norway’s financial institutions against complicity in Israeli war crimes.
The Paz divestment came just two days after a historic vote by the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), held during its national congress in Oslo on 8-9th May.
Representing more than a million workers – nearly a fifth of Norway’s population – LO voted overwhelmingly, with 88 per cent of delegates in favour, to enact a full boycott of Israel.
The resolution mandates a ban on trade, investments, cultural, sporting and academic cooperation with any Israeli institutions or companies linked to the occupation.
The union’s demands are sweeping: Immediate and complete divestment by the State Pension Fund, Norwegian companies, and financial institutions from firms complicit in Israel’s occupation; and, should Israel fail to end its occupation by 25th September, for Norway to lead a global economic boycott.
‘This question is more on the agenda now … because of Israel’s policy, attacks and war in Gaza and in the West Bank,’ said LO deputy leader Steinar Krogstad.
He emphasised that the fund ‘should not invest in companies that breach international law’.
The move was welcomed by Palestinian resistance factions, including Hamas, the DFLP and the PFLP.
In a joint wave of statements, they described LO’s action as a ‘courageous step’ and a ‘victory for the rights of the Palestinian people’, urging trade unions worldwide to follow Norway’s lead and intensify international isolation of Israel’s ‘fascist and genocidal’ regime.
The LO’s Palestine Committee hailed the decision as a reflection of overwhelming grassroots support.
According to figures released by the committee, 240 delegates voted for the boycott, with only 69 against.
Norwegian civil society has already moved to enforce the vote.
In April, LO and 47 other organisations submitted a formal letter to Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg demanding immediate divestment by the sovereign fund from any company complicit in the occupation.
At the end of 2024, the fund still held shares in 65 Israeli companies valued at over $2 billion.
The LO has vowed to increase pressure on parliament ahead of its 4th June vote on the fund’s disbursement.
While Norway’s government initially criticised LO’s stance as ‘one-sided’, it conceded that free cultural and academic institutions must be allowed to hold their own views, and has not moved to obstruct the boycott.
This non-interference is distinct compared to the UK and US, where state crackdowns on pro-Palestine activism have grown increasingly authoritarian.
This wave of political rupture did not begin in May.
It is rooted in Norway’s historic decision on 25th April to formally establish diplomatic relations with the State of Palestine.
In a landmark ceremony at the Royal Palace in Oslo, newly appointed Palestinian Ambassador Marie Sedin presented her credentials to King Harald V, marking the full recognition of Palestine by the Norwegian state.
This recognition, first announced on 22nd May last year, was a turning point in Norway’s foreign policy and came as Israel intensified its bombardment of Gaza.
In recognising Palestine, Norwegian officials declared their support for Palestinian independence and the right to statehood, joining 12 other European nations and 148 UN member states in affirming Palestinian sovereignty.
Norway has since become the first European country to publicly confirm it will comply with the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
The ICC has charged both with war crimes and crimes against humanity over their roles in the slaughter in Gaza.
Norwegian officials have confirmed they will arrest the two men should they enter the country.
Israel’s response was swift and vindictive.
It condemned Norway’s recognition of Palestine, recalled its ambassador from Oslo, restricted Norwegian diplomatic operations, and barred the Norwegian foreign minister from visiting.
Israeli officials accused Norway of ‘rewarding terrorism’, a standard line used to deflect growing international condemnation.
Yet this time, the condemnation appears to be falling flat.
The Israeli lobby has been conspicuously silent on the sovereign wealth fund’s divestments – perhaps in an attempt to avoid drawing further attention to the growing economic rejection of the occupation.
The calculated silence marks a notable departure from the usual barrage of denunciations that follow similar actions elsewhere.
Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has previously defended the state’s recognition of Palestine as both a moral and strategic imperative.
In a May op-ed last year, he wrote: ‘There can be no two-state solution without a Palestinian state. Recognition is not a reward. It is a prerequisite for peace.’
He described the Oslo Accords’ framework – where recognition of Palestine was contingent on a future peace deal – as having failed completely.
The present situation, he said, ‘has gone from bad to worse’, with Israel’s illegal settlements and genocidal military campaign having destroyed any viable basis for a Palestinian state.
‘We’ve rarely been as far away from a two-state solution as we are today,’ he wrote, adding: ‘But there has also rarely been broader international support for one.’
Norway now seeks to amplify that momentum, working closely with Saudi Arabia and other European countries to mobilise diplomatic recognition and economic pressure on Israel.
In Gaza, where more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023 and hundreds of thousands more wounded, Norway’s actions have been viewed as a rare instance of meaningful solidarity aside from Yemen.