Israel cancels accreditation of Norwegian diplomats to Palestinian areas

OSLO (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.

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.

The decision was also condemned by the Palestinian Authority, as a "violation and breach of international laws".

"The decision of the Israeli foreign ministry regarding the Norwegian mission in Palestine has dangerous dimensions and carries major repercussions," Hussein Al-Sheikh, general secretary of President Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian Liberation Organization said in a statement on the social media platform X.

Even though Norway is not part of the European Union, the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also spoke against Israel's decision.

"I strongly condemn the decision by the Israeli Government to revoke the diplomatic status for Norwegian diplomats dealing with the Palestinian Authority. This is of interest for all working for peace and stability in the Middle East. Full solidarity to Norway," he said in a statement.

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 through a unilateral approach, but eventually lost confidence in this strategy.

Along with Spain and Ireland, Norway in May officially recognised 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, saying it bolstered the militant Islamist group that led the deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war in the Hamas-governed Gaza Strip.

(Reporting by Terje Solsvik in Oslo and Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem; editing by Stine Jacobsen, Alexandra Hudson and Diane Craft)