Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Norway
Norway: its Jewish community, recognition of Palestine, pension fund exclusions and Terje Rød-Larsen
About 1,300 Jews lived in Norway in 2023, according to the World Jewish Congress (WJC).[1] Norway recognised the State of Palestine on 28 May 2024,[2] and in August 2025 Norges Bank excluded five Israeli banks from the Government Pension Fund Global.[3]
Jewish community
The Jewish communities are in Oslo and Trondheim, each with a synagogue. Det Mosaiske Trossamfund (The Mosaic Community) in Oslo is the communal representative body and the WJC's affiliate. Hjelp Jødene Hjem (Help the Jews Home) helps Jews to make aliyah to "Israel". Kosher slaughter has been banned in Norway since 1929.[1]
Chabad
- Main article: Chabad-Lubavitch movement
The WJC notes a Chabad presence in Oslo.[1]
Israeli state and commercial ties
Diplomacy
The Israeli foreign ministry's 2011 list of missions records relations with Norway as recognition in January 1949, with "Israel" represented by its embassy in Oslo.[4] The Embassy of Israel in Norway and Iceland is at Parkveien 35, PB 4046 AMB, 0244 Oslo.[1]
Trade
The Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics reports that "Israel" imported goods worth $241.7 million from Norway in 2025 (2024: $265.4 million) and exported goods worth $44.2 million to it (2024: $49.8 million).[5]
Government Pension Fund Global exclusions
On 25 August 2025 the Norges Bank Executive Board excluded First International Bank of Israel Ltd and its holding company FIBI Holdings Ltd, Bank Leumi Le-Israel BM, Mizrahi Tefahot Bank Ltd, Bank Hapoalim BM and Caterpillar Inc. from the fund "due to an unacceptable risk that the companies contribute to serious violations of the rights of individuals in situations of war and conflict". The decisions were based on recommendations from the Council on Ethics of 25 June and 2 July 2025.[3] The council's recommendation on Bank Leumi, issued on 2 July 2025, said that by providing financial services necessary for construction in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the bank had contributed to maintaining the settlements, which it described as established in breach of international law.[6]
Political interference
Recognition of Palestine
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide announced on 22 May 2024 that Norway would recognise Palestine; the decision was adopted by royal decree on 24 May and entered into force on 28 May. Eide said that "for over 30 years, Norway has been one of the strongest advocates of a Palestinian state" and that "it is regrettable that the Israeli Government is showing little willingness to engage constructively in the process".[2]
UN voting
Norway voted in favour of the September 2025 General Assembly resolution endorsing the New York Declaration on a two-state solution.[7]
Terje Rød-Larsen
Terje Rød-Larsen, a former Norwegian diplomat and politician described by the Associated Press as "an architect of the Oslo peace accords", resigned as president of the International Peace Institute (IPI) in New York in 2020, apologising for his "failed judgment" in securing donations from foundations related to Jeffrey Epstein.[8]
Ehud Barak emails
The following items come from the two leaked mailboxes of the former Israeli prime minister and defence minister Ehud Barak (ehbarak1@gmail.com and ehud.barak@hyperion-eb.com, 2007–2016). They were hacked and leaked by Handala, a group that Distributed Denial of Secrets describes as "believed to have ties to Iranian intelligence", and were published by Distributed Denial of Secrets in August 2025. The emails carry no cryptographic signatures, and Distributed Denial of Secrets warns that material from such hack-and-leak operations may have been altered.[9]
- On 25 April 2014 an assistant to Rød-Larsen at the IPI wrote to Barak that Rød-Larsen had asked her to arrange a meeting with him in Washington DC on 8 May.[10] On 2 May 2014 Epstein wrote to Barak: "ok, see you on the 18th. send terje the paragraph for mongolia today."[11]
Jeffrey Epstein
Documents released by the US Department of Justice in the Jeffrey Epstein files include the following.
- On 25 October 2011 Epstein's assistant asked Rød-Larsen whether he could "send over an African Expert today to Jeffrey's home around 4:00". Rød-Larsen replied that he was "Working on it", then named the person who would come and wrote: "Ask Jeff to call me."[12]
- On 4 October 2014 the IPI sent Epstein an invitation, signed by Mona Juul and Terje Rød-Larsen, to a dinner at the institute at 777 UN Plaza, New York, on 24 October.[13]
See also
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Denmark
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Finland
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Sweden
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Estonia
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Latvia
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Lithuania
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Iceland
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 World Jewish Congress, Community in Norway worldjewishcongress.org, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway recognises Palestine today regjeringen.no, 28 May 2024, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Norges Bank Investment Management, Decisions on exclusion nbim.no, 25 August 2025, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Diplomatic Missions Abroad: Status of relations mfa.gov.il, archived 5 August 2011.
- ↑ Central Bureau of Statistics (Israel), Foreign Trade Statistics Monthly, Table D1: Trade Countries – Imports and Exports CBS, December 2025 issue (library copy).
- ↑ Council on Ethics for the Government Pension Fund Global, Bank Leumi Le-Israel BM etikkradet.no, accessed 25 October 2026 (in Norwegian).
- ↑ United Nations General Assembly, Recorded vote on A/80/L.1/Rev.1: Endorsement of the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, 12 September 2025 (copy hosted by Al-Quds Al-Arabi).
- ↑ Edith M. Lederer, Norway's Larsen resigns as think tank CEO over Epstein link Associated Press, 2 November 2020, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ Distributed Denial of Secrets, Ehud Barak emails, 27 August 2025, with download at data.ddosecrets.org, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ Email from the International Peace Institute to Ehud Barak, "Meeting with Terje Roed-Larsen", 25 April 2014, file
ehbarak1@gmail.com/Inbox!35/1 (482).html, Ehud Barak emails, Distributed Denial of Secrets, released 27 August 2025 (hacked and leaked by the Handala group), accessed 25 October 2026. - ↑ Email from Jeffrey Epstein to Ehud Barak, "Re: touch Base JE", 2 May 2014, file
ehbarak1@gmail.com/Inbox!35/1 (351).html, Ehud Barak emails, Distributed Denial of Secrets, released 27 August 2025 (hacked and leaked by the Handala group), accessed 25 October 2026. - ↑ Email exchange between Jeffrey Epstein's assistant and Terje Rød-Larsen, "Re: Jeffrey Epstein", 25 October 2011, EFTA00425303, US Department of Justice, Epstein Files release, Data Set 9, copy at tommycarstensen.com/epstein, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ Email from the International Peace Institute to Jeffrey Epstein, "Invitation for dinner on Friday, October 24, from Mona Juul and Terje Roed-Larsen", 4 October 2014, EFTA02592104, US Department of Justice, Epstein Files release, Data Set 11, copy at tommycarstensen.com/epstein, accessed 25 October 2026.