Israel Cancels Accreditation of Norwegian Diplomats to Palestinian Areas

A soldier holds a child as smoke rises in northern Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, as seen from Israel, May 17, 2024. (Reuters)
A soldier holds a child as smoke rises in northern Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, as seen from Israel, May 17, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israel Cancels Accreditation of Norwegian Diplomats to Palestinian Areas

A soldier holds a child as smoke rises in northern Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, as seen from Israel, May 17, 2024. (Reuters)
A soldier holds a child as smoke rises in northern Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, as seen from Israel, May 17, 2024. (Reuters)

Israel on Thursday revoked the accreditation of eight Norwegian diplomats working as representatives to the Palestinian Authority, drawing a sharp response from Norway's foreign minister who called it "an extreme act".

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the decision to revoke the diplomats' status was made in response to what he described as Norway's anti-Israeli conduct, including its recognition of a Palestinian state.

"Norway conducts a one-sided policy on the Palestinian issue, and will therefore be removed from the Palestinian issue," Katz said in a statement, Reuters reported.

Norway blames the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the diplomatic spat and is now considering its response to the situation, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide said in a statement.

"This is an extreme act that primarily affects our ability to help the Palestinian population ... Today's decision will have consequences for our relationship with the Netanyahu government," he said.

Norway in the 1990s helped negotiate the Oslo Accords, a set of agreements designed to bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

While peace has remained elusive, the Nordic country still chairs the international donor group to the Palestinians.

Norway had long argued that a two-state solution could only be achieved through dialogue, and not a unilateral approach, but eventually lost confidence in this strategy.

Along with Spain and Ireland, Norway in May officially recognized a Palestinian state, in the hope this would help accelerate efforts to secure a ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza.

The Israeli government repeatedly condemned the decision.

 

 

 

 

 



No Temporary Shelters, No Air Raid Drills: As Iran Braces for War, its Citizens Are Kept in the Dark

Iranians walk in a road near a billboard depicting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (R) and late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, at Valiasr Square in Tehran, Iran, 05 August 2024. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
Iranians walk in a road near a billboard depicting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (R) and late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, at Valiasr Square in Tehran, Iran, 05 August 2024. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
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No Temporary Shelters, No Air Raid Drills: As Iran Braces for War, its Citizens Are Kept in the Dark

Iranians walk in a road near a billboard depicting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (R) and late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, at Valiasr Square in Tehran, Iran, 05 August 2024. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
Iranians walk in a road near a billboard depicting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (R) and late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, at Valiasr Square in Tehran, Iran, 05 August 2024. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

All government agencies and offices were closed Wednesday in Tehran, and in 13 provinces, including some along the western and eastern borders, hours for government offices were limited to 6 a.m. to 10 a.m, the New York Times reported.

Iran also issued a notice to civilian aviation, warning that “gunfire will take place” for several hours on Wednesday night and into Thursday over parts of the country, it said.

As Iran prepares to follow through on its vow to “severely punish” Israel over the assassination of the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week, it is raising war jitters among the public. Yet there were few, if any, signs on the streets of Tehran and other cities that a conflict may be looming.

The government said that the shutdown on Wednesday occurred merely because of extreme heat and that the closings of airspace were for military exercises.

But the explanations belie the statements from officials that, as the acting foreign minister, Ali Bagheri, told state media on Tuesday, “Iran’s response will be definitive and severe.”

While the time and scope of Iran’s response remain unclear — whether it will act alone or in coordination with regional militias like Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen — the disconnect between the escalating rhetoric and the nonchalance about preparing the public is striking.

“We are in the dark, clinging to news programs on satellite television to figure out what is happening because our officials are not telling us anything,” said Maliheh, 66, a retiree in Tehran. Like others interviewed by telephone for the New York Times article, she asked that her surname be withheld for fear of retribution by the authorities.

The government has not issued any directives about what citizens should do if Israel responds with counterstrikes: no temporary shelters; no air raid drills; no warnings to stock up on emergency supplies; and no contingency plans for hospitals in the event of a strike.

“The answer is nothing, zero,” said Ehsan, a 41-year-old business owner in Tehran, when asked if he had heard of any public safety instructions. “The people are an afterthought in our country.”

On social media and in interviews in several cities, Iranians said they were anxious and confused, the New York Times reported.

“The situation is beyond our tolerance,” said Parisa, 37, an artist in Tehran. “Many people who never wanted to leave the country are now thinking about immigration. Everyone is sad, aggressive and worried.”

But some others questioned whether the war chatter was justified, doubting that an Israeli counterstrike to whatever Iran decides to do would disrupt daily routines or critical services such as electricity and water.

Mostafa, 36, a computer engineer in Rasht in northwest Iran, criticized the government’s support for militant groups in the region, saying it placed Iran in Israel’s crosshairs. Still, Mostafa said, he did not believe an all-out war was coming. “It will be a remote war and in the form of destroying specific targets,” he said. “So I am not that worried.”

Others said they were already emotionally exhausted from months of tumultuous events, each enough on its own to unnerve a nation, including a terrorist attack claimed by ISIS that killed over 200 people; exchanges of missile strikes with neighboring countries; nearly going to the brink of war with the United States and Israel; and the death of the president and foreign minister in a helicopter crash.

In the past week, the already battered currency plunged anew against the dollar while the stock market tumbled.

“We are just sick and tired of waking up every day to news that someone died, something blew up, the price of the dollar went up, and recently we have to worry about going to war every few months,” said Behdad, 39, of Tehran, who said his import-export business was suffering as a result.