Israel revokes diplomatic status of Norwegian envoys to Palestinian Authority

Jerusalem: Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced on Thursday that he was revoking the diplomatic status of Norwegian envoys to the Palestinian Authority (PA), citing Oslo's "anti-Israel behaviour" since the onset of the Gaza war in October 2023.

In a letter sent to the Norwegian Embassy in Tel Aviv, Katz stated that the status of eight Norwegian representatives to the PA would be revoked within seven days, Xinhua news agency reported.

"I ordered the termination of any representation on behalf of the Norwegian Embassy in Israel vis-a-vis the Palestinian Authority," Katz said in a press statement.

"There is a price for anti-Israel behaviour," he added, referring to the Norwegian government's decision to recognize Palestine as a state in May and its announced intention to comply with the International Criminal Court in The Hague if arrest warrants are issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

The move came a day after Israel announced that it is withholding PA funds designated for Gaza, terminating the escrow arrangement previously managed by Norway.