Statement by Norway:
- I refer to and would like to commend the Secretary General for your statement last week, in which you voiced concern over the alarming rise in antisemitic incidents across Europe, which poses a grave threat to Jewish communities in all our member States.
- It has now been over a month since Hamas' brutal terrorist attack on October 7 where around 1200 Israelis were killed and more than 240 people were taken hostage. As a result of the war against Hamas more than 13,000 Palestinians have been killed and the numbers are increasing.
- Norway welcomes the announced agreement on a temporary ceasefire and release of hostages from Gaza, of which many are children. This agreement will also make it possible to get more humanitarian assistance into Gaza, including to the north where there still are thousands of We call on all parties to adhere to the agreement, to release all remaining hostages, to stop the violence and to move towards a sustainable ceasefire.
- In the wake of the crisis, we are also concerned with the increase in anti-semitism and hostile attitudes towards Jews on our continent. There is a need for increased efforts throughout Europe to combat antisemitism. Norway signed the joint statement by the Special Envoys and Coordinators Combating Antisemitism condemning the terrorist attacks on 7 October. We all have a responsibility to fight prejudice and group-based racism. We as governments need to do what we can to ensure that the crisis in the Middle East does not create or increase divisions in our countries.
- The government of Norway will do what it can to reduce tensions and ensure that the situation does not reduce the security of either Norwegian Jews or other residents of Norway. We take the safety of all our citizens seriously and have increased security at Jewish sites in Norway. Vulnerable groups must be given protection when necessary, and we must contribute to a climate of debate that does not fuel divisions. This is why the government of Norway recently announced that a new version of the national action plan against anti-Semitism, will be presented next year.
- In addition to this a new version of our action plan to combat discrimination and hatred towards Muslims will also be presented next year.
- In the Council of Europe, the Committee of Ministers have adopted recommendations for Member States to implement targeted actions against antisemitism, but this was some years ago. In 2021, ECRI revised its General Comment no. 9 on the fight against antisemitism. Last year we adopted a CM recommendation in the context of holocaust and genocide – and lastly the Recommendation (2022)16 on action against Hate Speech.
- The Parliamentary Assembly last year called on the Council of Europe and on all Member States, in their Resolution 2447 (2022) on Preventing and combating antisemitism in Europe, to adopt national strategies and measures to ensure against antisemitism in their countries.
- In view of recent events in our countries, we believe that we should all strengthen our work in this respect and update national strategies where necessary. In these difficult times, The Council of Europe could consider organizing a “peer learning” exercise to facilitate exchanges of best practices among Member States.
Thank you.