From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
War of words as Jerusalem upbraids Oslo over Hamas stance
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleIsrael’s Foreign Ministry lashes out at Norway, saying the European country is alone among “like-minded countries” in continuing to back the Hamas terror group while refusing to condemn sexual violence against Israeli victims.
“It is shocking that the murders, rapes and other atrocities that the terrorists of Hamas committed did not change the Norwegian government’s position at all,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lior Haiat says on X.
The browbeating comes in response to a statement by Norway’s foreign minister on Sunday that largely took aim at Israel over its handling of the war in Gaza, alleging “a complete breakdown in compliance with the rules of humanitarian law.”
Even six months after the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, Norway – the only country among the like-minded countries that still maintains relations with the Hamas terrorist organization – continues its disproportionate and biased position that favors Hamas.
It is… pic.twitter.com/YQAyhrq0Io
— Lior Haiat ????????????️ (@LiorHaiat) April 9, 2024
The statement only fleetingly touched on Hamas’s October 7 massacre and ongoing hostage crisis, but did note efforts with “like-minded and several Arab countries” to end the war.
“We searched the Norwegian statement and did not find a single reference to the horrific sexual crimes perpetrated by Hamas against Israeli women and men on October 7th,” Haiat says.
“Norway displays a lack of proportionality and double standards towards the State of Israel, ” he charges.
The Times of Israel Community.