Norwegian Jews decry proposed criminalization of settlement trade - interiew

Norwegian Jewish leaders warned that a proposed law criminalizing some settlement trade could create “real anxiety” among Jews and carry risks beyond a political signal.Follow us on Google People celebrate with Palestinian flags as they attend a demonstration in support of Palestinians in Gaza, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Oslo, Norway January 19, 2025. (photo credit: NTB/Heiko Junge via REUTERS)SEPTEMBER 16, 2026 21:02Norwegian Jews decried a proposed law that would make certain forms of trade with Israeli settlements a criminal offense with up to 3 years in prison, calling it “deeply troubling” and “dangerous.”Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide made the announcement in an interview with the country’s public broadcaster, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK), earlier this week. The consultation deadline on the bill is to be on Saturday.He also told NRK he believed Israel had become “far too accustomed to being able to intimidate Western countries by saying they were antisemitic if they criticized Israel for abuses and violations of international law.”“Now the Teflon coating that Israel has had in many ways is gone.”Speaking to The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday, Ester Nafstad, co-founder of Kos & Kaos (the Nordic Jewish network), said: “The proposed ban is presented as a political signal, but a law carrying potential prison sentences cannot be treated as merely symbolic.”MAN walks in the Jewish outpost of Yahish Zion, near the Jewish settlement of Psagot, in the West Bank; Illustrative. (credit: Dor Pazuelo/Flash90)Penalties range from fines to three years in prisonUnder the proposal, intentional violations could result in up to three years’ imprisonment, while even negligent violations could carry a sentence of up to six months.Nafstad said that criminal liability requires clear boundaries and a serious assessment of the consequences – including for Palestinians whose livelihoods depend on economic interaction with Israelis – but that she does not believe the proposal has been sufficiently examined.Nafstad told the Post that the proposal is creating “real anxiety” among Norwegian Jews.“Many fear that their family, religious or communal ties to Israel could expose them to scrutiny or investigation, even when they have no economic connections to the West Bank or to Israeli settlements,” she said.“Whether or not that is the government’s intention, such fears must be taken seriously when introducing criminal legislation directed exclusively at Israel and Israelis.”Nafstad responded to the specific comment by Barth Eide about Israel believing it can “frighten” Western countries by saying they were antisemitic if they criticized Israel.She said this sentence was “deeply troubling.”“Eide could have argued for stronger criticism of Israeli policies without invoking antisemitism at all,” she said. “Instead, he lends authority to the idea that accusations of antisemitism are primarily a cynical political weapon used to frighten critics into silence. That does not primarily harm the Israeli government; it harms Jews and educators who are trying to make society recognize antisemitism when it actually occurs.”Norwegian Jewish author, podcaster, and public speaker Henrik Beckheim also spoke to the Post about Barth Eide’s comment.“[This is] delegitimizing when Jews call out antisemitism for what it is. Just accusing us of pulling ‘the antisemitism card’.”Beckheim called Barth Eide the “most dangerous man in Norway’s government since Quisling.”Concerns grow over potential impact on Jewish communityIsraeli educator On Elpeleg, who lives in Norway, said: “This action by the Norwegian government against Jews in Judea and Samaria is not only aimed at ethnically cleansing Jews from their historical homeland, but also risks criminalizing Jews in Norway and spreading hostility toward Jews in Norway.”“This is a very worrying and dangerous development for Jews in Norway, especially when the government still does not designate Hamas as a terrorist organization,” he said.Last week, 11 countries joined Norway in confirming their intention to impose national restrictions on trade in goods from Israeli settlements: Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.The 12 nations jointly said that the Israeli government’s actions in the West Bank “damage the possibility of realizing the two-state solution.”Follow us on Google