On Apologizing and Healing

The editorial of the Jerusalem Post today is entitled "Apology to Norway" and is summed up thus:-

We hope that the Norwegian government and people will accept the 'Post’s apology and forgive us for any offense or hurt caused at this sensitive time.

The key to understanding this apology is here:

...it [the editorial] inappropriately, raised issues that were not directly pertinent, such as the dangers of multiculturalism, European immigration policies and even the Oslo peace process.

So, would it be appropriate, at some time, in a way that is not directly connected to the bombing and shooting, to bring up Norway's support for boycott, which coincidentally, was being inculcated into the minds of those murdered just the day before at that island summer camp?  So much so that one of the participants later interviewed informed us

Many people thought that it was a test ... comparing it to how it is to live in Gaza. So many people went to him and tried to talk to him, but they were shot immediately."

Oh, by the way, did the Ambassador apologize for his comparison which seemingly justified Arab terror against civilians?  This one:

..."We Norwegians consider the occupation to be the cause of the terror against Israel," he said.

Is it, in proper circumstances, possible to ask for an apology from Norway?


(k/t = GS)
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On The Island in Norway

You are on an island in Norway and someone is shooting at you and killing all those around you, by the dozens.

What is the image that enters your young Labor party mind?

Nazis and...Gaza.

Why not?

Here is the report (k/t=AtlasShrugs)

On Utoya island, witnesses described how people cowered in buildings and jumped into the water to swim for their lives as the gunman opened fire with an automatic weapon.  Among the wounded was Adrian Pracon, who was shot in the left shoulder as the gunman opened fire.

Speaking to ABC News 24 from hospital, he said the scene on the island was like a "Nazi movie" and described how he felt the heat from the barrel of the gunman's weapon.

"He was armed with a gun and he was shooting people at close range and starting to shoot at us. He stood first 10 metres from me and shooting at people in the water," he said.

"He had an M16, it did look like a machine gun. When I saw him from the side yelling that he was about to kill us, he looked like he was taken from a Nazi movie or something.

"He started shooting at these people, so I laid down and acted as if I was dead. He stood maybe two metres away from me. I could hear him breathing. I could feel the heat of the machine gun.

..."He tried everyone, he kicked them to see if they were alive, or he just shot them.

"From what I saw he had one thing on his mind.

...Mr Pracon said he jumped into the water to swim for safety but turned around when he saw that the opposite shore was around 700 metres away.  "I swam back because I saw it was impossible for me to swim over. I'm very glad I did.

"Some of my friends tried to stop him by talking to him. Many people thought that it was a test ... comparing it to how it is to live in Gaza. So many people went to him and tried to talk to him, but they were shot immediately."

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Official Norway Just Lost My Sympathy

According to this JTA report

Norway's ambassador to Israel drew distinctions between the Oslo and Utoeya massacres and Palestinian terrorism. Svein Sevje said in an Israeli newspaper interview Tuesday that while the Norwergian bomb and gun rampages that killed 76 people and Palestinian attacks should both be considered morally unacceptable, he wanted to "outline the similarity and the difference in the two cases. "Palestinians, the ambassador told Maariv, "are doing this because of a defined goal that is related to the Israeli occupation. There are elements of revenge against Israel and hatred of Israel. To this you can add the religious element to their actions."

..."We Norwegians consider the occupation to be the cause of the terror against Israel," he said. "Those who believe this will not change their mind because of the attack in Oslo."

Since we all know that Arab terror preceded the 1967 war, "occupation" cannot be the cause - unless, of course, all of Zionism and the return of Jews to their homeland is defined as an "occupation". And, I'm guessing, the ambassador and the political establishment of Norway does believe that. Like that "boycott" sign at the island the day before the slaughter.

Woe is Norway.

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UPDATE

OC informed me of It was a bit of moral equivalence on the part of Norway's Foreign Minister when reacting to a similar terror event to that of last week which occured here in Jerusalem, the massacre of high school students at the Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva, when he linked IDF actions around Gaza to the Arab terroro.

Here:

“I strongly condemn yesterday’s terrorist attack on the Israeli students in Jerusalem. I would like to extend my deepest sympathy to their families,” commented Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

Eight students were killed and 11 injured when a Palestinian gunman opened fire in the library of the Jewish seminary Mercaz Harav in West Jerusalem on 6 March. This is the most serious terrorist attack in Jerusalem for four years.

“I am deeply concerned about recent developments, and hope that this incident will not have a negative impact on the further negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.  The increasing violence in recent weeks in Gaza and southern Israel is very worrying. The use of violence seriously undermines efforts to ensure lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians,” Mr Støre underlined.

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Was sent this:

January 2009: NORWAY: Jewish children are not allowed to play outdoors

April 2011: Norway: Muslim Taxidrivers Refuse to Drive Jews to Synagogue
May 2009: More Jewish Graves Desecrated in Norway
2009: OSLO: ANTI-ISRAEL RALLY TURNS VIOLENT
2011: Norway: ALL Rapes In Past 5 Years Committed By Muslims
2008: Jewish Genocide watch: Jew Hatred in Norway Part II
2009: JIHAD ON THE JEWS: Something rotten in the state of Norway
2008: ISLAM ATTACKS - Death for Writer! Norway Hides
2007: Massive Islamic Terror Plots: Germany, Norway, Denmark
2007: Email from Norway
2006: Norway calls for Israel Boycott


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Missing?

Postscript to Oslo: The Mystery of Norway's Missing Files

Hilde Henriksen Waage

Journal of Palestine Studies, Vol. 38, no. 1 (Autumn 2008), p. 54

Report


In Norway, the secret negotiations culminating in the 1993 Oslo agreement are still seen as a shining moment in the nation’s history, so when the files of the entire process were discovered to be missing from government archives, a minor public scandal erupted. After laying out the Oslo “myth” and its cast of characters, the author recounts the story of the disappearance of the files, new revelations concerning their scope, and the (thus far unsuccessful) quest to recover them. The author concludes by exploring the implications of the backchannel negotiations for the entire Oslo process and its lessons for conflict resolution, particularly third-party mediation in highly asymmetrical conflicts.

Amazing.

How Could We Have Trusted Peres?

Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gar Store denied on Wednesday having told President Shimon Peres on Monday that his country had severed all ties with Hamas.

Store expressed his outrage at allegations he had made this comment. In a meeting with Meretz Party Chairman Yossi Beilin on Wednesday, Store said that he had never said such a thing and that he "couldn't believe it when I saw myself being quoted as saying this."

Stores associates directed their criticism as Peres' office.