ThoraB (@ThoraB)

The Palestine committee: The government's legislative proposal does not halt the occupation. The draft bill on a ban on trade with the settlements fails to implement the Storting's decision. 8 September 2026 Statement from the Palestine Committee The Government has circulated a legislative proposal regarding a ban on trade with Israeli settlements in Palestine. The Palestine Committee welcomes the move towards a legislative ban but believes the proposed bill will not contribute to ending the occupation of Palestine. Instead of advancing a bill that effectively counters the occupation, the Government is proposing legislation that appears to be the narrowest possible ban that is politically feasible. There is no distinction between a legal and an illegal part of the Israeli economy; the two are inextricably intertwined. Therefore, as a matter of principle, we believe all trade with Israel must cease. However, a step in the right direction would be to halt trade with any company contributing to the occupation through operations in areas occupied in violation of international law. For years, the UN and its human rights bodies have pointed out that economic activity can help sustain and expand Israeli settlements, and have urged both states and companies to prevent such complicity. The UN Human Rights Council has, among other things, called on states to use legislation and other measures to prevent trade and investment that help maintain this illegal situation, and has urged companies to withdraw from activities linked to the settlements. Norway has an obligation to work towards ending the occupation of Palestine. The objective of the legislation must be to halt Israel’s plundering of Palestinian resources. Palestinians must have full control over land, water, and other natural resources. The law must ensure that it is no longer profitable for Israeli or international companies to operate in areas occupied in violation of international law. In the recommendations issued to the Norwegian business community in March and October 2024, the government warned against maintaining business ties with entities that contribute to sustaining Israel’s unlawful presence. In June 2025, the Storting (Parliament) called on the government to "examine and implement a ban on trade and other business activities with companies that contribute to sustaining Israel’s unlawful occupation of Palestinian territories." The draft legislation disregards this and fails to follow up on the Storting’s resolution. The ban is intended to apply only to trade that is currently negligible—specifically, goods fully processed for export within the settlements. Consequently, Israeli companies could, for instance, produce juice in their facilities within Israel using oranges grown in the Jordan Valley and export it to Norway entirely legally. We maintain that the import of all goods produced, extracted, or processed by Israel in Palestine must be halted, and that business ties with companies engaged in such activities must be prohibited. This would align with the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct and corresponding UN guidelines. The draft legislation prohibits the provision of services related to real estate in the settlements. However, it contains no ban on the development of infrastructure, surveillance systems, telecommunications, or security services—all of which are crucial for maintaining the areas occupied in violation of international law. A ban on the acquisition of business operations is proposed; however, this applies only if the business has both its headquarters and its production facilities located within the settlements. As anyone can see, all that is required here is to set up a post office box in Tel Aviv, and everything will be in order under the new law. The proposed bill will not strengthen efforts to counter Israel’s occupation of Palestine. If the Norwegian business community views the proposed law as a substitute for the government’s previous recommendations, the bill will undermine the prospects of halting Israel’s theft of Palestinian resources and trade with companies operating in the West Bank. We hope the Palestine Committee’s proposed amendments to the bill are adopted, and we urge both organizations and political parties to support this. https://palestinakomiteen.no/aktuelt/10-aktuelt/292-regjeringens-lovforslag-stanser-ikke-okkupasjonen