Ashdod port
Photo: Gadi Cablo
The Norwegian parliament in the Sor-Trondelag region ruled Saturday to boycott products made in Israel and to forbid the sale and purchase of Israeli goods.
It is estimated that the decision, determined by a parliamentary vote, was made due to Norway's stance that Israel oppresses the Palestinians.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) strongly condemned the ruling Wednesday, saying that "this decision does nothing to promote Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation, but only serves to exacerbate tensions and ill-will.”
“It is shocking and ironic that this one-sided boycott effort comes at a time when Israel is making a series of dramatic steps toward peace, including the recent withdrawal from Gaza,” ADL Director Abraham Foxman said in a press release following the incident.
In a letter to Norwegian Ambassador to the U.S. Knut Vollebaek, the ADL expressed concern over the bias stance taken by the regional parliament in regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"Boycotts against Israel are predicated on odious comparisons to apartheid-era South Africa," the letter said. "It is our sincere hope that the Norwegian government will condemn this unjust decision and take necessary measures to secure its reversal.”