ROCKET ATTACK: Smoke rises from an area near the village of Metula, which is close to the border between Israel and Lebanon, after a rocket attack on November 11. Photo: Hassan Fneich / AFP / NTB
The Foreign Minister describes the risk of the war in Gaza spreading as great.
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Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide (Ap) says that he feels the risk that the war in Gaza will spread is too great and serious. Eide says that people in Norway were also worried that Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s speech on 3 November would be worse than it actually was. The Foreign Minister acknowledges that there is a risk that Hamas could come back stronger if a solution cannot be reached after the war. Norway condemns Israel’s blockade and violations of humanitarian law. University lecturer Dag Henrik Tuastad believes that the anger that has built up up in the Middle East can be strengthened as a result of attacks on hospitals in Gaza. Show more
– That risk is great and serious. Unfortunately, we have had many rounds of combat in Gaza, but this time the force is much greater, says Eide to VG.
– The tension is palpable in all countries in the region: There is great unrest in the West Bank and Hezbollah and Israel are firing rockets at each other – this is a sign that there is a risk of proliferation.
Having said that, says Eide, Hezbollah does not have an Islamist party, social movement and military organization in Lebanon with roots in Iran. showed clear signs that they want to escalate the conflict further.
– Recently Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah gave a speech where everyone thought he was going to deliver a message that would set the region on fire. But although strong words were used, the message itself was not as bad as feared. Many thought it could have been worse.
It was on 3 November that the Hezbollah leader gave the speech in question, which was his first speech since the outbreak of war between Hamas and Israel on 7 October.
Among other things, Nasrallah expressed support for Hamas, held the US responsible for Israel’s military actions in Gaza and warned against the consequences of a possible spread of the war.
– Did people also think in Norway that it could have been worse?
– Yes, but people with us and others who have read such speeches before, perceive that Hezbollah is still holding back for so long. They could have asked their brothers to stand up, but it didn’t come as we perceive it, and I think that’s how the speech was read in a great many other countries as well.
The risk of proliferation
Since October 7, Hezbollah and Israel have attacked each other daily without escalation. But on Saturday, Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, warned that what they are now doing in Gaza, they can also do in Beirut, which is the capital of Lebanon.
– I perceive this as a warning intended for those in Lebanon who are not supporters of Hezbollah, which is about the fact that it would be wise to keep Hezbollah in check, says Eide.
– It is also interesting that Iran chose to participate in the summit in Saudi Arabia, all the while they have historically been perceived as arch-enemies. This can be interpreted as a sign that restrictions will be placed on the spread of the war in Gaza.
SPEECH: Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned against the consequences of a possible spread of the war in Gaza when he spoke on 3 November. Photo: AP / NTB
The foreign minister refers to the summit meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which was held in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh at the weekend. Eide emphasizes that he is nevertheless concerned.
– One thing is the risk of spreading to the region around Israel and Palestine, but another is the risk that the war in Gaza could inspire radical Islamist groups in other countries, which are currently under control.
– There is reason to fear that even moderate Islamist brotherhoods can be mobilized as a result of a perception that injustice is being committed against their Palestinian brothers. This is big and can have consequences all over the globe.
BRUSSELS MEETING: At the end of October, Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide (Ap) met the EU Commissioner for Crisis Management and Emergency Aid, Janez Lenarcic. Among other things, they talked about measures to get the peace process started again. Photo: Naina Helén Jåma / VG
Hamas can be strengthened
In the short term, Eide considers that the most important thing is to introduce humanitarian breaks and reduce the suffering in Gaza. In the longer term, he believes that one must go for a two-state solution.
– If Israel wants to remain a democratic, Jewish state, they need a Palestinian state. The alternative is one big state where the majority is not Jewish, or where there are not equal rights for all who live there.
– Is there a risk that a strengthened or worse Hamas could arise after this war?
– Yes, there is actually a risk of that. I have no doubt that the Israeli forces will be able to destroy large parts of Hamas’ forces and infrastructure in Gaza. But if there is no solution for the time to come, there is reason to fear that Hamas will only recruit new people, says Eide and continues:
– There are over two million people living in Gaza, who are now experiencing their sisters and grandmothers being killed in bomb attacks – I don’t think they will be friendly to Israel.
Cooperation problems
On Sunday, the approximately 250 Norwegian citizens in Gaza still had not been released.
– We have not been given a time or date for when they can be released, but we are constantly talking to people who have an influence on the situation, and we are assured that the Norwegian citizens are in the system and that their turn will come, says Eide .
– Now we have the impression that the process is going slower because of the cooperation between Hamas, Israel and Egypt.
– What is it about the collaboration that makes things go slower?
– It’s not about the foreigners in Gaza, but it has to do with other wounded people who you also want out.
THE RAFAH CROSSING: Injured Palestinians are transported in ambulances from the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt. Photo: AFP / NTB
Hospital chaos
In recent days, the situation in and around hospitals in Gaza has been chaotic, and there are reports of attacks and heavy fighting. In particular, attention has been attached to the al-Shifa hospital, which is said to have been attacked and surrounded by Israeli forces.
– Do you want to condemn the attacks on hospitals in the Gaza Strip?
– We have condemned Israel’s blockade and we condemn violations of humanitarian law. And then we are reticent to condemn individual actions, but overall we believe that a violation of humanitarian law has been committed, and that is unacceptable, says Eide.
– We have great sympathy for the extreme insecurity that Israelis feel after the terrorist attack on 7 October, and we recognize the right to self-defence, but that right does not give free rein.
Think the mind will be strengthened
University lecturer Dag Henrik Tuastad at the University of Oslo believes that attacks on hospitals can intensify the anger that has arisen in the region.
– When you see such terrorist bombings, it is very important for people in the Middle East and elsewhere that there is protest in Northern Europe, that you hear something other than Western politicians talking about Israel’s right to defend itself, Tuastad told VG.
– People in and from Gaza that I have spoken to do not understand why there are no protests in countries that call themselves free democracies – how people can sit and watch thousands of children being killed.
– I believe that the anger related to this, which has already built up, will be intensified as a result of attacks on hospitals in Gaza.
Furthermore, Tuastad says that Hezbollah and Iran seem to be mostly concerned with their own interests, and believes that it does not currently appear that they want a full-scale war in the Middle East.
Published:
Published: 13.11.23 at 03:35
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2023-11-13 02:35:46
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