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Norway joins nations slashing funds to Palestinian BDS groups

Not long after Denmark announced it will no longer fund certain Palestinian organizations, Norway declared it is cutting aid to groups that boycott Israel.

By: Ebin Sandler, World Israel News

Norway is reportedly prepared to cut aid to Palestinian organizations that support anti-Israel boycotts. The move came less than a week after Denmark announced its intention to revoke funding for certain Palestinian organizations and increase scrutiny of others based on documented anti-Israel activities.

The change in direction from Oslo is reportedly an expression of the Scandinavian nation’s support for Israeli-Palestinian dialogue and its opposition to anti-Israel boycotts, according to a government statement reported by Hadashot TV.

In a similar move on Friday, the Danish Foreign Ministry announced it will more strictly vet allocation of funds to Palestinian organizations, a decision necessitated by revelations that Denmark funded Palestinian groups which instigate anti-Israel incitement and promote boycotts of the Jewish state.

To that end, Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen announced that based on the investigation’s conclusions, Palestinian orgnizations would be required to return a significant amount of earmarked funds, with some groups losing their support entirely.

Denmark’s decision followed Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s delivery to Samuelsen of a roster of Danish-funded organizations that Israel says are connected to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.

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Earlier in the year, Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) and NGO Monitor demonstrated that the Norwegian government assisted in financing a Palestinian Authority (PA)-affiliated women’s center in the town of Burqa, named after the leader of a horrific terrorist attack in 1978, Dalal Mughrabi.

Norwegian officials secured the return of their funds and removal of the Norwegian flag from the center.