Yngvil Mortensen

yngvil@lomedia.no

FriFagbevegelse yesterday interviewed the leader of the recognized Israeli human rights organization B´Tselem, Hagai El-Ad, who participated in a seminar on apartheid in Storting this week.

Read the full interview here: Norway must recognize that Israel is an apartheid regime, trust Israeli human rights leaders

Like the world’s largest human rights organizations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, local B´Tselem have also concluded that Israel has become an apartheid regime that systematically treats Israeli and Palestinian Jews differently, where one group dominates the other.

Israeli Embassy: – Lies don’t make peace

– Why does Israel consider this a baseless accusation?

“Repeating the lies of apartheid doesn’t make it true,” the Israeli embassy replied in an email to FriFagbevegelse.

“The repetition of lies and slogans will not create peace. On the other hand, building trust and cooperation by bringing Israelis and Palestinians together can make a peaceful solution a reality. It was Norway that had previously succeeded in uniting us. This is the right way to resolve the conflict and bring hope to Israelis and Palestinians,” the embassy said via Sara Marie Trutt, press contact at the embassy.

Does not answer specific questions

FriFagbevegelse asked the Israeli embassy a number of concrete questions based on some arguments from human rights groups. The embassy did not respond to this.

– Why don’t you want to answer the question?

“Since the apartheid accusations against Israel are utterly baseless, and will in no way contribute to progress in the situation we are in, we believe that the comments we provide cover all questions,” the Israeli embassy replied.

FriFagbevegelse asks why Palestinians in the West Bank are subject to Israeli military law, while Jewish Israelis in the West Bank are subject to Israeli civil law. We also ask why Jews have citizenship rights in Israel, whereas Palestinian refugees and their descendants from the area that became the state of Israel do not.

Amnesty: – Why are the accusations baseless?

The Israeli embassy stressed that “The misuse of the term (apartheid) must be taken seriously. Those who respect the victims of apartheid South Africa will not misuse the term,” the Israeli embassy wrote.

“Amnesty International has lost support and credibility among prominent European leaders because of Israel’s baseless allegations of apartheid,” according to the Israeli embassy.

Amnesty International’s head in Norway, John Peder Egenæs, wants to know why the Israeli embassy believes the allegations are baseless.

– We have published a very long and thorough report in which we have reviewed the existing laws and practices both in Israel and in the occupied territories. “We have documented that what Israeli authorities are doing across the region fits the definition of apartheid,” he told FriFagbevegelse.

– It would be interesting if the embassy refers to what we have actually documented, and shows where they think we are wrong, and why they think the reality we are describing does not fit the definition of apartheid, said Egenæs.

Minister of Foreign Affairs chaired the meeting of donor countries

The B’Tselem leader also brought charges against Norway yesterday, which he believes has historical responsibility for its role in the Oslo process.

Secretary of State Anniken Huitfeldt did not have time to answer our questions on this subject.

Tomorrow, he will chair a meeting of donor countries for Palestine in New York. For almost 30 years, donor countries have spent a lot of money on the development of Palestinian institutions. The goal is an independent Palestinian state with Israel.