The Israeli foreign ministry has spoken out against Norway after representatives of the European country’s government met with a Hamas minister in Oslo on Saturday.
Even though the Norwegians told Hamas that it must recognise Israel and renounce violence, FM spokesman Mark Regev was quoted as saying Israel “regrets” the decision.
The Norwegian officials had met with Hamas minister Atef Adwan who was in Norway after spending time in Sweden last week where he attended a conference.
Although he met politicians in Sweden, Adwan did not meet any cabinet members or foreign ministry officials.
Israeli regret
Regev made Israel’s position very clear. “Israel strongly regrets the decision by the Norwegian government to become the first European country to grant a meeting to a Hamas official," he said. "Hamas has stubbornly refused to accept the international community’s benchmarks and granting legitimacy to an unreformed Hamas cannot advance peace."
After the meeting, Kaare Eltervaag, who heads the Norwegian foreign ministry’s division for Middle Eastern affairs, is reported to have told Adwan that Hamas "has not lived up to our expectations”.
"We realise that it takes time to change attitudes but the Palestinian government must take clear steps in the right direction,” a statement on the Norwegian government website.
Norway on Friday announced a 50 percent increase in its funding for UN Palestinian relief efforts, to $24.5 million.
Hamas is considered a terrorist organisation by the EU and US and has forced the Palestinian Authority into isolation since Hamas won the Palestinian elections in January.
The EU, the main donor to the PA, cancelled its donations to the organisation a few weeks ago, leaving the PA in a financial doom.
Isolated group
Last week the quartet of Middle East negotiators – Russia, the EU, US and UN – agreed to organise a mechanism to donate money to the Palestinians which would bypass Hamas.
Despite all the pressure Hamas refuses to recognise Israel’s right to exist.Adwan said earlier this week that Hamas would continue to resist the demands until Palestinians get an independent state.
"Give us a country, a state, and then ask us to recognise Israel," he said at a news conference in Stockholm on Tuesday.