Norway Blacklists 2 ’Israeli’ Firms

Local Editor

Norway has blocked its $820 billion pension fund from investing in two "Israeli" companies because of their settlement activities in East al-Quds.

The Foreign Ministry this week blacklisted Africa "Israel" Investments and its subsidiary, Danya Cebus, on a recommendation from the fund's ethics council.

The huge sovereign wealth fund deplored the firms for "contributing to serious violation of individual rights through construction of settlements" in the occupied East al-Quds.

The move is a renewal of a three-year ban on investing in these firms that was repealed by Government Pension Fund of Norway in August last year.

The announcement comes several weeks after one of the Netherlands' largest pension asset managers said it was divesting from five "Israeli" banks because they finance illegal settlements.

In December, Romania barred its citizens from working for "Israel's" illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Recently, the European Union asked Tel Aviv not to announce new settlement constructions, warning that the settlements' expansion poses an acute threat to the progress of the so-called peace talks between the Palestinian Authority and "Israel".

"We have made it clear to the parties that there will be a price to pay if these negotiations falter," EU Ambassador to the Zionist entity, Lars Faaborg-Andersen said.

The EU has grown especially frustrated by "Israel's" repeated announcement of new settlements.
"If "Israel" were to go down the road of continued settlement expansion and were there not to be any result in the current talks, I am afraid that what will transpire is a situation where "Israel" finds itself increasingly isolated," he said.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team