Norway gets on fine with Saudi Arabia and China ...

"What is the driving force behind anti-Israel sentiment, when nations far worse than Israel in every respect get off scot free ? Iran awakens nowhere near the same degree of hostility, and as for Syria and Libya they are hardly on the map."

Source: Norway, Israel and the Jews

Topic for NTNU seminar: Norway’s relationship to Israel

Norway gets on fine with Saudi Arabia and China. With Russia there is the odd scuffle over investments and fisheries, but as long as Norway remains the only neighbor of Russia not to be invaded by her, we are pretty much content. We do not care much about Sudan. With Israel however we have a relationship which, diplomatically put, "could be better". Why is this?

We are told that the driving force behind the constant criticism against Israel is not anti-Semitism. Absolutely not ! The thought in itself, our Norwegian readers tell us, is ludicrous. Very well. Then what is the driving force behind anti-Israel sentiment, when nations far worse than Israel in every respect get off scot free ? Iran awakens nowhere near the same degree of hostility, and as for Syria and Libya they are hardly on the map.

On NTNU rektor Digernes’ blog, a UK academic has entered the following comment [NTNU seminars on Middle East – based on research or bias?]:

"In my academic career I had never heard about any Norwegian university, until a variety of newspaper articles and e-mails drew my attention to the anti-Israel hate seminars at NTNU and the fact that it was the first time ever in a democratic country that such a series was sponsored by a university rector. I have since looked in some detail into the attitude of Norwegian governments towards Israel and the Jews. It seems to me that it is much more important for NTNU’s students that the rector sponsors a seminar on this subject. It could include many topics, such as Norway’s long history of anti-Semitism, the scandalous restitution process after the Second World War and the systematic obstruction by many authorities during the renewed restitution process in the 1990s. Other subjects could be Norway’s own ethics and those it demands from Israel, double standards in behaviour and ethics towards Israel and Arab countries, media bias, internationally pioneering anti-Semitic acts in Norway, and so on."


Is this a comment worth reflecting upon, or shall we resort to angry rejection? This is a decision it is up to the editors of Akersgata – Norway’s Fleet Street – to decide upon.

- Norway has decided to teach Israel a lesson
- NTNU students protest biased seminars
- NTNU rector Torbjørn Digernes: "Seminar series is praiseworthy initiative"
- SPME: NORWEGIAN ACADEMICS CALL FOR ISRAEL BOYCOTT
- Ilan Pappé dismisses Digernes’ objectivity-defense:"We are all political"
- Stephen Walt recommended by Bin Laden, speaks at NTNU
- Criticism builds against unbalanced NTNU seminars
- NTNU student to dean: "We will not give in"
- Israeli weekly on NTNU
- Dignernes’ blog down after SPME article
- NTNU: A NORWEGIAN HATE UNIVERSITY
- Morten Levin and the serpent’s egg
- Why should Digernes resign ?