– Eide has neither made contact nor apologized

Israel’s ambassador is upset that Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide neither contacted nor apologized for being pictured with a poster that said “Fuck Israel”.

A picture of Palestine activist Mona Osman from Skien together with Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide has caused strong reactions, especially in Israel.

The picture was taken on Wednesday 1 May in connection with the celebration of Workers’ International Day of Struggle in Grenland. Osman published the photo on Friday.

In the text of the Facebook picture, Osman writes: “Today I have radicalized Espen Barth Eide!”. In the picture she is holding a poster with the text “Fuck Israel. Fuck capitalism. Fuck Nato.”

The Israeli ambassador to Norway, Avi Nir-Feldklein, says he believes Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide (Ap) when he says he did not know what was on the poster in the picture.

Espen Barth Eide has rejected that this in any way represents his or Norway’s view.

– I believe him, Ambassador Avi Nir-Feldklein to Aftenposten.

– This can happen. What I not understand why Eide and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs do not contact us. He has neither made contact nor apologized. And, for example, said that he does not stand for this, and that he distances himself from the slogans. But he hasn’t done that, says Nir-Feldklein.

The ambassador says this fits into a practice that Eide has had as foreign minister towards Israel.

– He does not speak directly to us, to Israel. He speaks to us through the media. Why does he do that? We have diplomatic channels to talk together, clear up misunderstandings, he says.

He is also a little disappointed that the foreign minister associates with politicians from Rødt.

– Why does he get involved with these? These are people who call us terrorists. Who call others terrorists. Red is not for us.

He points out that Israel has an embassy in Oslo. And that Norway has an embassy in Israel.

– In a normal diplomatic reality, this would have been easy to resolve. For a very long time, Eide has been talking to us via the media. It’s a bad habit and a problem, he says.

UD: Ongoing dialogue outside the media

Communications manager Tuva Bogsnes in the Foreign Ministry comments on the ambassador’s statements as follows, in an email:

“The Israeli ambassador is always welcome to us at the Foreign Ministry. We have had several meetings with him at various levels, and we have an ongoing dialogue that does not take place in the media. We really appreciate that.”

She does not respond directly to the ambassador’s suggestion that Eide should not have contacted the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the incident, nor did she apologise.

She points out that the Minister for Foreign Affairs gave several speeches on 1 May and that photographs were taken.

“Obviously, the message presented in this photo in no way reflects his statements on that day. The Foreign Minister and Norway are neither against Israel, capitalism nor NATO. He cannot remember seeing this poster, and was not aware of the text on the poster in the picture,” writes Bogsnes.

She writes that the woman in the photo was part of a group that had turned up to demonstrate against the foreign minister and the government. And that Eide didn’t know who she was.

“As far as possible, Eide wants to meet and talk to people, also because he believes it can help reduce the contradictions in society.”