Netanyahu Confronts Norwegian Foreign Minister on BDS

YERUSHALAYIM

The fight against BDS continued on the prime ministerial level on Sunday, as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu confronted Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide over her country’s support for the anti-Israel boycott, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Netanyahu and Søreide reportedly disagreed about the classification of one NGO in particular, Al-Haq, which receives significant funding from Norway. The PM contended that it denies Israel’s right to exist, which his guest disputed.

According to NGO Monitor, Al-Haq, located in Ramallah, is a leader in anti-Israel “lawfare” and BDS campaigns. Norway gave the organization nearly $1.4 million in 2015-2016, Monitor alleged.

Søreide met with President Reuven Rivlin as well on Sunday. Mr. Rivlin also had something to say to her about BDS:

“I believe that BDS leads to increasing hatred, and does not work against it, and it symbolizes all that stands in the way of dialogue, debate, and progress,” Rivlin said.

“It is against all our cooperation, and against our lives together here. You must work against it no less than we, because it stands in the way of progress.”

He also thanked the Norwegian foreign minister for her government’s efforts against anti-Semitism.

“In the last few years there has been a significant improvement, a testament to the ability to overcome hatred and to educate understanding,” Rivlin says. “We still have a long and important way to go, and we must continue down this path, in order to combat this terrible phenomenon.”

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