A protester waves a Palestinian flag outside the Storting during a demonstration in October last year. Photo: Frederik Ringnes / NTB
A broad majority in the Storting has, as expected, said no to several proposals for sanctions and a boycott of Israel as a result of the war in Gaza.
Tuesday 6 February at 15:08
The Gaza war was hotly debated in the Storting last Thursday, but the vote on several of the proposals for punitive measures against Israel was postponed until this week.
This applied, among other things, to Rødt and SV’s demand that the government must take the initiative for international sanctions against Israel and an international arms embargo against Israel.
The proposal was supported by SV, Rødt and MDG.
The same applied to a proposal to ban the import and export and supply of goods and services that contribute to the Israeli regime’s income, i.e. boycott.
A proposal to withdraw the oil fund from companies linked to Israel’s occupation was also voted down.
Broad majority
In advance, a majority consisting of the Labor Party, the Conservative Party, the Center Party, the Progressive Party and the Christian People’s Party had announced that they would vote no to all 30 proposals.
The majority also voted down a proposal to discourage Norwegian business from doing business with Israeli companies as long as the war in Gaza continues.
Nor did a milder sanction proposal from the Liberal Party win a majority. This amounted to asking the government to “take the initiative towards allies and like-minded countries to consider the possibility of sanctions against individuals and institutions in Israel that contribute to violations of international law and human rights”.
Think sanctions would hurt
When the Storting debated the matter last week, Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide (Ap) said that he does not think it is wise to impose Norwegian sanctions, and that he also does not think it will have a decisive impact on Israel’s assessments.
On the contrary, he believes it will harm efforts to end the war.
– That would damage many of the processes we are deeply involved in, and which I know the Palestinians want us to be involved in, said Barth Eide.
2024-02-06 14:08:36
#broad #majority #Storting #boycotts #sanctions #Israel
