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According to Reuters on the 8th, Israel revoked the diplomatic status of eight Norwegian officials responsible for contacting Palestinian affairs on the same day. Norwegian Foreign Minister Eide responded strongly to this and denounced the move as "extreme behavior."

According to reports, Israeli Foreign Minister Katz said the decision to revoke the diplomat's status was a response to what he called Norway's "anti-Israel" behavior, including Norway's recognition of the State of Palestine. "Norway has adopted a unilateral policy on the Palestinian issue and will therefore be excluded from it," Katz said in a statement.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Eide Photo source: Visual China

In response to Israel's move, Norwegian Foreign Minister Eide issued a statement saying that Norway believes that the government of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu should be held responsible for the diplomatic dispute, and Norway is currently considering responding to the situation. "This is an extreme act that affects our ability to help the Palestinian people... Today's decision will affect our relationship with the Netanyahu government," Eide said.

The Palestinian side also condemned Israel's move as "a violation of international law." Hussein Sheikh, secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), posted on the social platform X that "the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs' decision on the Norwegian mission to Palestine is dangerous and will have significant consequences."

The report mentioned that although Norway is not a member of the European Union, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Borrell also expressed opposition to Israel's decision. He issued a statement saying: "I strongly condemn the Israeli government's decision to revoke the diplomatic status of Norwegian officials responsible for contacting Palestinian affairs. This is a matter of concern to all those who are committed to peace and stability in the Middle East. Full support for Norway."

Borrell also said that the EU strongly condemned this unreasonable decision, which violated the spirit of the Oslo Accords and seriously undermined the normal relations and cooperation between European countries and Palestine.

Norway helped broker the Oslo Accords, a series of agreements aimed at bringing peace to Israel and the Palestinians in the 1990s. Although peace has not yet been achieved, Norway still chairs the international donor group for Palestine.

In May this year, Norway, Spain and Ireland formally recognized the State of Palestine, hoping that this would encourage the two sides to resume peace talks and help achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government condemned the decision, claiming that the move was in support of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) attack on Israel on October 7 last year.