Relationship dossier
Israel
Norway
Relationship assessment
Bilateral ties marked by diplomatic engagement and sustained disagreement over Palestinian statehood and Israeli policy.
Israel toward Norway
-25Israel has maintained diplomatic and economic engagement with Norway, while sharply criticizing Norwegian positions on Palestinian statehood and its role in international efforts concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israeli government objections to Norwegian recognition of Palestine and related diplomatic steps have strained ties.
Norway toward Israel
-20Norway has maintained diplomatic engagement with Israel and played a central role in facilitating the 1993 Oslo Accords. It supports a negotiated two-state solution and has criticized Israeli policies in the occupied Palestinian territories; Norway recognized the State of Palestine in 2024, prompting Israeli diplomatic objections.
Overall relationship
-20The relationship combines established diplomatic engagement and a history of practical bilateral exchanges with a durable source of friction: Norway’s active diplomacy on Palestinian statehood and criticism of Israeli policy. The Oslo process reflects a major period of cooperation, while later disagreements have repeatedly strained political ties.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Israel and Norway maintain diplomatic relations and have engaged in trade and other bilateral exchanges, but their relationship has been strained by Norway’s prominent role in Palestinian diplomacy and sharp disagreements over Israeli policy in the occupied Palestinian territories and Gaza. Norway helped facilitate the 1993 Oslo Accords process and has continued to support a negotiated two-state solution. Israel has repeatedly criticized Norwegian positions and actions concerning Palestinian statehood and accountability for the conflict.
Areas of tension
- Norwegian support for Palestinian statehood and recognition of Palestine.
- Norwegian criticism of Israeli policy in the occupied Palestinian territories and Gaza.
- Israeli objections to Norway’s role in international efforts concerning Palestinian statehood and accountability.
Key developments
Norway played a central role in facilitating the secret negotiations that led to the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Norway recognized the State of Palestine, alongside Ireland and Spain, drawing strong objections from the Israeli government.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and current implementation of bilateral cooperation outside the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are unclear.
- The longer-term effects of recent diplomatic disagreements on government-to-government cooperation are uncertain.