Oslo was demanding relocation of unpopular Israeli embassy
On February 21, Ynet reported that Oslo city officials had given the unpopular Israeli embassy a year to find an alternate site:
The Israeli Embassy in Oslo, Norway was officially notified a few days ago that it must move to another location within a year, the Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported Monday.
According to the Norwegians, the embassy poses a security threat to its surroundings and has had a negative impact on the residents’ quality of life.
Michael Eligal, Israel’s ambassador to Oslo, sent the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem a cable saying embassy staffers were having a hard time finding an alternate site. “Our search has been frustrating, to say the least,” the envoy wrote. “No one wants to sell us property.”
A Foreign Ministry official said the affair is indicative of a new low in Israel-Norway relations. “The authorities in Norway are capitulating to public opinion that is hostile to Israel,” he said. “They are doing everything they can to make things more difficult on the embassy.”
