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LEARN HEBREW

Norwegian report on torture allegations infuriates Israeli ambassador
Updated: 07/Sep/2007 16:48
Israel's ambassador to Norway, Myriam Shomrat.
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OSLO (EJP)--- Israel’s ambassador to Norway has called on the Norwegian foreign ministry to distance itself from a report that expresses concern over claims of torture in Israeli prisons.

According to the Norwegian press, the Norway’s embassy in Tel Aviv sent an internal report to Oslo in July in which it said the foreign ministry should express concern about methods of questioning Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.

The embassy’s report was based on reports written by three Israeli human rights groups that were based on surveys of Palestinian prisoners.

The Israeli groups, The Public Committee Against Torture, HaMoked and B’tselem, expressed concern that Israeli authorities went too far in their use of physical and psychic pressure on Palestinian prisoners, and that it too often turned into abuse and torture, according to the daily newspaper Aftenposten.

The report has infuriated Israel’s ambassador to Norway, Myriam Shomrat who said that Norway’s ambassador to Israel had been called by Israel’s foreign ministry and was told that his country was expected to distance itself from the report.

However, according to Aftenposten, Norwegian officials said the meeting between Norway's ambassador Jakken Bjorn Lian and Israeli foreign ministry officials had been planned long in advance and came at the initiative of the Norwegians.

Raymond Johansen, state secretary in the Norwegian foreign ministry, said the Norwegians had nothing to distance themselves from, because the Norwegian embassy’s report was “based on Israeli reports.”

Shomrat claimed that the Norwegians’ use of the reports "damaged the relationship between Norway and Israel."

It’s not the first time that the Israeli ambassador slams Norwegian criticism of Israeli policy.

She apologized last year when her own criticism of Norway was viewed as being offensive to the Norwegian royal family.


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