Norway sovereign wealth fund rolls back Israeli investments over West Bank, Gaza concerns

Norway’s $2 trillion sovereign wealth fund says it is selling off its stakes in some Israeli companies, and is terminating all contracts with Israeli asset managers handling investments over the situation in Gaza and the West Bank.

“We are invested in companies that operate in a country at war, and conditions in the West Bank and Gaza have recently worsened. In response, we will further strengthen our due diligence,” the fund’s CEO Nicolai Tangen says in a statement.

Norges Bank Investment Management, the body managing the fund, says it is divesting itself of 11 Israeli companies, out of 61, which are not included in an equity benchmark index created by Norway’s Finance Ministry.

The fund says the 11 were excluded “due to unacceptable risk of contribution to serious norm violations associated with business operations in the West Bank.”

The statement notes that it has raised issues with 39 companies since 2020 over concerns related to the West Bank and Gaza, marking the majority of its due diligence related to conflicts around the globe.

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