NPA in Palestine

NPA’s partner organisations are advancing the rights of different groups in community such as youth, women and refugees to participate in society and be heard socially and politically. The right to land and resources is another area of priority. In the occupied West Bank, illegal Israeli settlements are responsible for human rights breeches such as appropriation of land and natural resources, demolition of houses, confiscation of water resources, forced relocation and restriction of freedom of movement.

Neither Norway, nor the EU recognise the Israeli settlements in the West Bank as part of Israel. The EU has taken several concrete steps to ensure that the settlements do not receive benefits through the EU's relations with Israel. The EU has introduced the labelling of goods from illegal Israeli settlements, and over twenty of the EU's member states warn national businesses against financial ties to illegal settlements. Settlements also do not get access to EU funds.

On Thursday, March 7th 2024, the Norwegian government issued an official recommendation to Norwegian companies to avoid all trade and business activities with and in the illegal Israeli settlements.

NPA sees it as our duty to be vocal on violations to International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and human rights in Palestine, to advocate for Palestinian rights, and to ensure Norwegian companies, institutions and organisations avoid violating IHL and human rights by engaging with companies supporting the settlements.

Examples are companies exploiting natural resources in Occupied Palestinian Territory, supplying goods or services to Israeli prisons that are detaining Palestinian minors and prisoners without charge, and companies producing weapons and other military equipment that are used against civilians in Gaza. More on this in the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Implementing the United Nations ‘Protect, Respect and Remedy’ Framework.

NPA is not part of the BDS Movement

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, also known as the "BDS movement" originates from a 2005 petition launched by 170 Palestinian organisations. The BDS movement calls for the use of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel as means of action against the Israeli occupation. See bdsmovement.net for more information.

It is a misconception that NPA is part of the BDS petition. NPA's focus is to work to ensure that Norway and Norwegian companies, institutions and organisations do not support the occupation of Palestine through trade with- and investments in companies that contribute to the occupation.

We do not discourage trade with Israel, but recognise that negotiations without pressure on Israel have failed, and Israel continues to expand settlements. For that reason, it has become necessary to break ties with the occupation and put pressure on Israel to end the occupation.

Working for a boycott is a peaceful form of protest and is protected by the right to free speech. Although we are not part of the BDS Movement, we are concerned that organisations that do support a boycott of Israel are being threatened, criminalised and denied entry to Palestine.

The settlement with US authorities

In 2018, Norwegian People’s Aid reached a $USD 2 million settlement with the US Department of Justice due to an unintentional breach of a clause in an agreement made with USAID in 2012. It was alleged that an offense had been committed in the form that one or more persons associated with organisations on the U.S. sanctions list had attended an NPA-supported course in democracy and human rights for Palestinian youth. Using this case as an example, false claims of terrorism support have been made against NPA.

NPA does not support terrorists or terrorist organisations. We support Palestinian partner organisations that are working to promote democratisation in Palestine and the rights of the Palestinian people in line with UN resolutions.

A settlement is not an admission of guilt or wrongdoing. A core disagreement between NPA and USAID is that NPA interpreted the Anti-Terrorism Certification to apply only to activities funded by U.S. funds and not for activities funded by other donors.

The activities that were part of this lawsuit were part of a project supported by the Norwegian Development Agency NORAD. It was not in breach of any Norwegian laws or involving any support for terrorism. On the contrary, it was a peaceful contribution to democratic, social development.

Read NPA’s full statement on the settlement from 2018 here.

The Gaza war

NPA has condemned the atrocities from both parties in the Gaza conflict and called on all parties to immediately de-escalate the situation and respect civilian life while upholding International Humanitarian Law and ensure humanitarian access to those affected by the violence.

We have raised special concern over Israel's violations of international humanitarian law in its retaliatory actions following the Hamas terrorist attack. This includes concerns prompted by the International Court of Justice that Israel could be committing genocidal acts.

Since war broke out in Gaza in October 2023, the civilian population has been facing a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented severity and scale. The population live under constant bombardment and siege, and are deprived from the basics they need to survive. A substantial portion of homes, schools, hospitals, water infrastructure, shelters, and refugee camps have been destroyed, rendering Gaza uninhabitable.

As a consequence of this, most of NPA’s partner organisations have had to adapt their activities. Distribution of food and dignity kits, teaching civilians how to prepare and protect themselves against explosive weapons and how to prevent injuries and suffering in war situations, and awareness campaigns on avoiding settler harassment in the West Bank, are only some examples of how NPA’s local partners have been provided aid and support during the ongoing aggression in Gaza and on the West Bank.