Ireland Defies US Norway Reviews Israeli Investments
Ireland Pushes Ahead With Occupied Territories Bill, Norway Reviews Israeli Investments
DUBLIN/OSLO — Ireland says it will move forward with its Occupied Territories Bill despite pressure from Washington, where more than a dozen US lawmakers have urged Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to add the country to a boycott list if the legislation is passed.
Prime Minister Simon Harris said on Friday that Dublin remains undeterred and is not acting in isolation. “This week, we also saw Slovenia take action in relation to trade from the occupied territories. I expect Belgium will likely do the same, and we intend to advance with our legislation,” he told reporters.
Harris added that public sentiment in Ireland, across Europe, and around the world is strongly opposed to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza. “People feel extraordinarily strongly about the genocidal activity we’re seeing, about the starving children, and we will use all tools at our disposal,” he said.
In Norway, Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg announced that the country’s $2 trillion sovereign wealth fund will soon adjust its approach to Israeli investments. While ruling out a blanket withdrawal, Stoltenberg confirmed that the government has launched an urgent ethics review of the fund’s holdings linked to the war in Gaza and Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.
“I see several measures over time, but what can be addressed quickly must be done quickly,” he said after meeting with fund officials for the second time in three days.
The wealth fund is expected to release an update on its Israeli investments on Tuesday.
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