Our government's clarity on the war in Gaza is exemplary

We’ve said it before and we can say it again: Our government’s clarity on the war in Gaza is exemplary.

Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide also has our full support for his honesty regarding the situation in the Middle East. In VG this weekend, political editor Hanne Skartveit wrote about the Foreign Minister “Dangerous flirtation”It further indicates that he and the government are allied with China and Russia. Nothing less.

Of course, there is a difference between Israel’s war and Russia’s war. But even a just war whose starting point is self-defense, as happened in the Israeli armed response, can turn into abuse and terrorism. Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza did just that. All infrastructure has been bombed. The death toll now stands at more than 15,000. It is unbelievable that many of the dead are children and young people. He will survive dozens of times, but with lifelong trauma. This is something that cannot be accepted, but must be condemned and fought, and not hidden behind an analysis that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is very complex.

What would the situation be like if Israel came to its senses?

The war against civilians in Gaza is reprehensible in the form it has taken. The war that Israel is waging is no longer in self-defense, but rather violates international law. The Norwegian government has bravely spoken out about this. Our Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Storr has previously stated that Israeli retaliation is contrary to international law, and has problematized humanitarian law demands of proportionality and consideration for civilians.

“The line has been crossed too far,” Støre stated a few weeks ago. From then on, everything got worse. Barth Eide followed this by warning against Western double standards, meaning that we condemn Russia’s bombing of children, but accept the same from Israel. He says in the facts and the interview that this is not necessarily the case, but he fears that this is the prevailing perception in many countries. Many countries have a history that allows them to quickly sympathize with the Palestinians’ struggle for freedom and independence. Barth Eide rightly fears for the West’s credibility in Ukraine.

Norway was also among the countries that begged for a ceasefire. In this too, our government has our full support. There was a truce, but now it’s all-out war again. A rich, democratic, industrialized country with one of the most powerful armies in the world, facing a people who lack almost everything. They are not even a state, but a civilian population trapped behind walls. Led by Hamas, which, through the terror that Israel was subjected to on October 7, has clearly made a disastrous choice for its population.

“What is worrying is that there is no longer any criticism of Hamas,” Skartveit wrote. We believe that this analysis is wrong. Criticism has only drowned out Israel’s excessive use of force and the killing of thousands of innocent children. What would the situation and debate be if Israel came to its senses?

[ USA forventer at Israel ikke bomber sikre soner for sivile ]

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