Norway condemns Israel’s decision to shut down UNRWA, seeks ICJ opinion

Norway has strongly criticized Israel’s decision to close down the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) operations in East Jerusalem, Gaza, and in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) due to its strong affiliation with the terrorist organization Hamas.

The Norwegian government now wants the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue an advisory opinion on Israel's closure of UNRWA, which it views as unacceptable.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said that “the UN, international humanitarian organizations, and states continue to face systematic obstacles when working in Palestine and delivering humanitarian assistance to Palestinians under occupation.”

“We are therefore requesting that The International Court of Justice (ICJ) pronounces on Israel's obligations to facilitate humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian population, delivered by international organizations, including the UN, and states,” Støre declared without addressing the strong connection between UNRWA and the terrorist organization Hamas.

In August, UNRWA fired 9 employees for their involvement in the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians, including women and children. However, despite this move, UNRWA remains largely unreformed and its ties with Hamas are still believed to be extensive.

Israel recently eliminated Muhammad Abu Itiwi, a senior Hamas commander employed by UNRWA. He was later found to be involved in the Oct. 7 attack and the kidnapping of several Israelis, including the late American-Israeli citizen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

UNRWA quickly admitted that Itiwi had been on its payroll.

Israeli intelligence previously estimated that at least 10% of UNRWA's staff are affiliated with Hamas and other terrorist organizations. The UN agency has also been accused of promoting antisemitism and hatred of Israel.

Norway has emerged as one of Israel’s strongest critics in Europe.

In May, Norway joined Ireland and Spain in unilaterally recognizing “Palestine” as an independent state, despite objections from Israel that such a move would reward Hamas for the massacre of over 1,200 Israelis in southern Israel.

However, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide defended the decision by arguing that “for more than 30 years, Norway has been one of the strongest advocates for a Palestinian state. Today, when Norway officially recognizes Palestine as a state, is a milestone in the relationship between Norway and Palestine.”

Israel responded to the Norway's diplomatic move in August by suspending Palestinian Authority funds that were managed by the Norwegian government.

While the relationship between Norway and Israel is currently tense, there are others in the international community that have condemned Israel's decision to shut down UNRWA’s operations.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy believes the decision is “totally wrong.”

“Alongside international partners, the UK has been clear Israel must ensure UNRWA can deliver aid at the speed and scale needed to address the humanitarian emergency in Gaza,” Lammy stated.

The Biden administration has also warned that there “could be consequences under US law and US policy” for closing UNRWA's operations in East Jerusalem.

“We are going to engage with the Government of Israel in the days ahead about how they plan to implement it. We'll watch and see if there are legal challenges to the law, and if there's any impact by those legal challenges, and then we will make our decisions after looking at all those factors.” U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller stated.