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Norway finance minister Kristin Halvorsen.
 (AP)
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Last update - 21:31 03/09/2009
Israel summons Norway envoy to protest divestment from arms firm
By Amira Hass and Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondents, and The Associated Press
Tags: Elbit, Israel News 

The director general of the Foreign Ministry, Yossi Gal, on Thursday summoned the Norwegian ambassador to Israel, Jakken Bjørn Lian, to protest Norway's decision to pull all of its investments from the Israeli arms firm Elbit.

Following the meeting, the Foreign Ministry relayed that, "Israel will consider further steps of protest in the future."

Norway's finance minister, Kristin Halvorsen, announced at a press conference in Oslo earlier in the day that the divestment was due to Elbit's involvement in the construction of the West Bank separation fence.
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According to a political source in Jerusalem, the Foreign Ministry had planned to issue a harsh statement of condemnation immediately after the announcement, but following the meeting with Lian the ministry decided to tone it down.

The explanations for the divestment provided by the Norwegian envoy at the meeting were apparently the reason for the ministry's moderation of its response.

At the press conference, Halvorsen said the decision was based on the recommendation of Norway's Ministry of Finance council on ethics, whose role is to ensure that government investments abroad meet ethical guidelines.

"We do not wish to fund companies that so directly contribute to violations of international humanitarian law," said the minister. She said the shares were sold secretly ahead of the announcement.

Elbit manufactures a monitoring system installed on several parts of the separation fence.

The recommendation submitted by the Ministry of Finance council on ethics stated that it considered "the fund's investment in Elbit to constitute an unacceptable risk of complicity in serious violations of fundamental ethical norms."

The council is thus explicitly referring to a 2004 International Court of Justice ruling, stating that the separation fence represented a breach of international law.
Israel erected the fence following a wave of Palestinian terror attacks at the height of the second intifada; it says the barrier is a necessary measure to stop Palestinian suicide bombers and protect settlers. The Palestinians oppose the fence's route, saying it is designed to grab land they want for a future state.

Palestinian as well as Israeli anti-occupation groups, aided by Norwegian leftists, have all protested extensively against Norwegian involvement in companies involved in West Bank development and construction over last two years, which have seen an increase in Norway's investment in Israeli firms.

Norway's pension fund is invested in 41 different Israeli companies.

A research project by the Coalition of Women for Peace called "Who profits from the occupation" found that almost two thirds of those firms are involved in West Bank construction and development.

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      1.   They hate us, we hate them... 14:28  |  MarkC 03/09/09
      2.   It`s just a fence, don`t believe the hype 14:30  |  Canadian 03/09/09
      3.   The security fence is there to defend the lives of Jews, but... 14:33  |  Eitan 03/09/09
      4.   Yes, it`s unethical to prevent suicide bombers 14:34  |  IW 03/09/09
      5.   DELETED BY MODERATOR 14:44  |  Yakov 03/09/09
      6.   Great News! 14:44  |  Matty Groves 03/09/09
      7.   Goodbye Norway..... 14:57  |  Ben 03/09/09
      8.   divest from Norway, block donations to NGOS 14:58  |  nadav 03/09/09
      9.   If Israel Had.... 15:05  |  Rafé 03/09/09
      10.   Norwegian Noblese Oblege 15:12  |  Ori 03/09/09
      11.   A Country With A Conscience 15:20  |  Yaakov Sullivan 03/09/09
      12.   IThe Occupation Nightmare 15:21  |  Walid 03/09/09
      13.   Eitan 15:35  |  A.M. 03/09/09
      14.   Sullivan-"Country with a conscience" 15:36  |  Christopher 03/09/09
      15.   The country that gave us "oslo" 15:37  |  Arie 03/09/09
      16.   Ignore at our Peril 15:37  |  See-er 03/09/09
      17.   New Government in Norway needed 15:37  |  Kinga 03/09/09
      18.   Invest in Elbit, Divest from Norway, Support Peace! 15:38  |  David 03/09/09
      19.   #10, Ori. "Its borders", my elbow. 16:12  |  zmogus 03/09/09
      20.   Ori - please explain 16:26  |  Sylvie 03/09/09
      21.   who cares! 16:30  |  George 03/09/09
      22.   Apartheidd/Land Grab Wall has only a little to do with security 16:47  |  gg 03/09/09
      23.   i do s hope the norwegians made a loss on the divestment 17:02  |  the fixer 03/09/09
      24.   :: Zmogus 17:03  |  Matty Groves 03/09/09
      25.   yaakov, country with a consience 17:05  |  mike 03/09/09
      26.   the following walls exist 17:14  |  the fixer 03/09/09
      27.   Alarming how fence/wall supporters know so little about it 17:33  |  josh 03/09/09
      28.   mike 17:41  |  Axel 03/09/09
      29.   :: The Fixer`s Folly 17:43  |  Matty Groves 03/09/09
      30.   the wall itself is not the problem... 17:44  |  erikn 03/09/09
      31.   #15, Arie. Three suggestions. 17:45  |  zmogus 03/09/09
      32.   fence 17:46  |  Hannah 03/09/09
      33.   Conscience or not Conscience, but... 18:04  |  zmogus 03/09/09
      34.   Praying for a snowball effect 18:05  |  Matthew 03/09/09
      35.   it will get worse 18:20  |  michael 03/09/09
      36.   2 More weeks left 18:40  |  Joe 03/09/09
      37.   Excellent move by Norway, may the Dutch follow soon 18:55  |  Mark B. 03/09/09
      38.   Borders 18:56  |  Ron 03/09/09
      39.   RE;#26 Walls exists 18:56  |  Ice 03/09/09
      40.   Josh-Maybe it`s time for a reality check 18:57  |  Christopher 03/09/09
      41.   # 38 ron 19:22  |  Axel 03/09/09
      42.   #2 Canadian 19:23  |  BDS 03/09/09
      43.   Simply wrong, Eitan and IW 19:24  |  Murray 03/09/09
      44.   The wall 19:26  |  Good 03/09/09
      45.   Fence 19:31  |  Marie Mirabeau 03/09/09
      46.   #12 Walid, You dont see the trees from the forest 19:31  |  IAF Veteran 03/09/09
      47.   Wall 19:38  |  Marie Mirabeau 03/09/09
      48.   Breaking the Int`l Whaling Ban 19:44  |  Tzvi 03/09/09
      49.   Norway 19:48  |  Marie Mirabeau 03/09/09
      50.   Wall 19:52  |  Marie Mirabeau 03/09/09
      51.   Let`s put this in perspective 19:53  |  dB 03/09/09
      52.   Anyone is free to invest whatever/wherever they choose. 19:55  |  Clarence Darrow 03/09/09
      53.   mike from chicago 20:04  |  Anouk 03/09/09
      54.   Blessed are the pure of heart... 20:20  |  mariapalestina 03/09/09
      55.   To: #51 Clarence Darrow 20:32  |  Good 03/09/09
      56.   Good neighbors build fences on their own land 20:40  |  Don Boston 03/09/09
      57.   Israel protests 20:41  |  dani.a 03/09/09
      58.   Marie Mirabeau on walls/fences 20:42  |  Murray de Montreal 03/09/09
      59.   Bravo Norway... We should follow that road 20:50  |  John 03/09/09
      60.   Elbit is an employer of thousands of talented 22:04  |  Ardi 03/09/09
      61.   "Good neighbors build fences on their own land" 22:05  |  ol` Case 03/09/09
      62.   It`s interesting, isn`t it....... 03:09  |  Johnboy 04/09/09
      63.   #58 Murray de Montreal 03:20  |  Johnboy 04/09/09
      64.   BDS 03:33  |  PM Balkenende 04/09/09
      65.   MOSES TOOK WRONG TURN 03:42  |  TOBIa 04/09/09
      66.   Europe`s ethical norms? Don`t make me laugh 04:22  |  Jason 04/09/09
      67.   BUY ELBIT STOCK 04:30  |  Steve of Mevaserret 04/09/09
      68.   Matty Groves - Sovereign states have borders 04:35  |  CJ 04/09/09
      69.   Bravo Norway! 70% in US support you ! 04:52  |  betz55 04/09/09
      70.   Good for Norway! 05:15  |  Janice 04/09/09
      71.   Morality 101 - The Foundation of Civilization 10:34  |  seth 04/09/09
      72.   It`s not all about the fence 10:43  |  Trond 04/09/09
      73.   Congratulations Norway 10:49  |  kal 04/09/09
      74.   WHO were the Norwegians boycotting while suicide bombers murdered 11:48  |  PETER SM 04/09/09
      75.   Who needs Quisling friends like the Norwegians 18:22  |  Semsem 04/09/09
      76.   It is a crime to protect Jewish life which the Wall does 18:24  |  Elly 04/09/09
      77.   the Great Wall of China: built between the 5th century BCE and 19:12  |  wally 04/09/09
      78.   norway 22:42  |  patsy 04/09/09
      79.   Johnboy, Yes!, it`s very interesting 02:06  |  *BEN JABO 05/09/09
      80.   #70 Janice - If the rest of the world follows Norway 02:22  |  *BEN JABO 05/09/09
      81.   Response to the responses 02:39  |  Gabor Frankl 05/09/09
      82.   #76 An interesting matter of historic fact, BEN 07:50  |  Johnboy 05/09/09
      83.   #78 Gabor addresses the cheap seats.... 08:02  |  Johnboy 05/09/09
      84.   ITS a SECURITY fence not a border! Security has different 18:15  |  PETER SM 05/09/09
      85.   The Wall 20:21  |  Steffen 05/09/09
      86.   Peter 84 Peter, The barrier failed the test as a security fence 20:56  |  Dutch 05/09/09
      87.   1994: the agreed upon border was set to be the Jordan river. 23:48  |  wally 05/09/09
      88.   semsem 75 02:03  |  potobac 08/09/09
      89.   AP, SV, SP won the election 20:20  |  Peter 04/10/09
      90.   Divesting from 1% of the investments in Israel 00:50  |  Thore 05/10/09
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