Leftists, along with other anti-imperialists and peace groups, have raised concerns about the use of weapons made in Norway by Israel in the massacre of Palestinians in Gaza.
Last month, groups including the Rødt (Red) Party, Norwegian People’s Aid, the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions, Changemaker, and Save the Children, among others, demanded that the Norwegian government take steps to prevent weapons from reaching active war zones.
Activists demanded end-user declarations to countries to which Norway sells weapons so that it will be possible to control where the weapons end up. Groups including the Communist Party of Norway (NKP) and the Young Communists in Norway (UngKom) also protested Israel’s war in Gaza and expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Even though Norway has officially banned the export of arms to states waging war, including Israel, it has been exposed that Norway-made arms and ammunition are widely used in Israel’s genocidal war on Palestinians.
It was reported that Norwegian-produced rocket fuel from Chemring Nobel is used in Israel’s Hellfire missiles. There have been reports that Israel has also recently ordered 3,000 rocket launchers produced by the aerospace and defense group Nammo, partly owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry, and has so far taken delivery of 1,800 of them.
Red Party deputy in the Norwegian Parliament, Stine Westrum, has highlighted that Norwegian weapons end up in Israel’s hands mainly because Norway sells weapons to NATO members like the US, which in turn is Israel’s most important supplier of weapons and military equipment. “These deliberate gaps in export regulations mean that countries Norway officially does not sell weapons to, can nevertheless simply acquire Norwegian weapons technology,” Westrum said.
The Red Party has also called for a lasting ceasefire now in Gaza and the West Bank and the end of the blockade to allow aid to reach Gaza. The party has demanded that the Norwegian state recognize Palestine as an independent state now and facilitate the international prosecution of the Israeli state for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The party has urged the Norway government to sign the UN Apartheid Convention, impose sanctions against Israel, expel the ambassador of Israel in Norway, boycott Israeli goods produced in violation of international law on occupied soil, and ensure no Norwegian weapons reach Israel through prohibition of arms trade with countries that can not document that the weapons are not resold to Israel.
As of January 2, more than 22,000 people have been killed in Gaza in the ongoing Israeli bombardment. Around 2 million people are displaced and more than 7000 people are reportedly missing following the relentless Israeli bombing in Gaza which didn’t spare hospitals, places of worship, and refugee camps.
