Carl Lexow returns with an account of the pro-Hamas political currents in Norway, and the documented mendacity of the man who is likely to become the next Norwegian prime minister.
Hamas leader Khaled Mashal and Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Photo: TV2)
Our Bright New Political Caste
by Carl Lexow
In a video from January 2011, the then Foreign Minister of Norway (2005-2012), Mr. Jonas Gahr Støre, was interviewed by the Norwegian Channel TV2. Mr. Støre is now chairman of Arbeiderpartiet (Labour Party), the largest political party in Norway. Above is a picture of Mr. Støre (right), and his old chum, Mr. Khaled Mashal of the terror organization Hamas.
Journalistic Scoop
On the tape, Mr. Støre is caught lying in flagrante and demands therefore that the exposed sequence be retaken. That’s why he looks so angry in the picture and is lifting his finger towards the cameraman. Too bad for him, of course, that the TV company all the same didn’t delete the tape. It’s difficult for others, however, to assess how often top politicians such as Mr. Støre are caught red-handed in lying, but the interview is certainly a scoop from a journalistic point of view. Mr. Støre is the kind of leader we in the West now put our trust in. It’s therefore quite amusing to watch the video, but maybe lying is more common that we know among members of our elites?
Liberal Paradox
Mr. Støre is likely to become PM in 2017 because the present Government, chaired by Mrs. Erna Solberg, is increasingly unpopular due to its liberal immigration policy. The paradox is that the voters therefore will go for Mr. Støre, who is just as liberal as Mrs. Solberg when it comes to opening the borders to everybody. Sometimes the world is indeed difficult to comprehend.
The transcript of the video is as follows, partly in English and partly translated from Norwegian:
| 0:08 | Reporter, interviewing Mr. Khaled Mashal, leader of the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, in his Damascus HQ: Have you self spoken to the foreign minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre? | |
| 0:14 | Mr. Khaled Mashal (translated): We’ve had several telephone conversations and we much appreciate the Norwegian Government | |
| 0:20 | and its politics which are different from the European and the American | |
| 0:26 | when it comes to the Palestinian question in general, and Hamas in particular. | |
| 0:34 | Reporter, later interviewing Mr. Jonas Gahr Støre in Norway: Have you yourself had conversations with Mr. Mashal? | |
| 0:37 | Mr. Støre: No. | |
| 0:39 | Reporter: In an interview with TV2 in Damascus, Mr. Khaled Mashal says on tape that | |
| 0:44 | he has spoken to you on the telephone on several occasions. | |
| 0:50 | Mr. Støre, while pointing his finger to the camera: Can’t we take …eh …eh … this recording once more, | |
| 0:55 | just the beginning, because your last question was a little confusing. | |
| 1:01 | Reporter: The last question? If you have been speaking to Mr. Mashal? | |
| 1:04 | Mr. Støre: I got the impression that you asked if I had a meeting with him. | |
| 1:08 | Reporter: No, I asked if … | |
| 1:10 | Mr. Støre, interrupting: There were some nuances in it, but can’t we record it once more and then let’s go straight to the point. | |
| 1:14 | Reporter: I can frame the question like this … The leader of Hamas, Mr. Khaled Mashal, | |
| 1:19 | in an interview with TV2, says that he has on several occasions been talking to you on the telephone. | |
| 1:24 | Mr. Støre: Yes, it is correct that in 2007, when the Palestinians were engaged in talks between themselves | |
| 1:29 | for the establishment of a coalition Government … eh … then I had a few telephone conversations | |
| 1:35 | with him, on the request of the Palestinian President, Mr. Abbas, in the negotiations then taking place | |
| 1:40 | between the Palestinians, from a meeting in Mecca and to when they agreed on a Government. | |
| 1:47 | Reporter: But haven’t you had political contacts with Hamas? | |
| 1:51 | Mr. Støre: Yes, you could say that a telephone conversation during a period of negotiations was messages to | |
| 1:56 | and from the Palestinians …eh … was a political contact, but we haven’t had political contacts | |
| 2:01 | as such since they formed their coalition Government. |
The matter is certainly embarrassing for Norway, because at the time of the incident, no other western Country had approved of Hamas as a legitimate organization. Mr. Støre’s predecessor as party chairman and prime minister of Norway, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, is at present Secretary General of NATO, handpicked by President Obama and Chancellor Merkel for the job of taming Mr. Putin. Or maybe he’s chosen because he’s so well connected with the Middle Eastern mob? Well, anyway, since President Obama himself has voted for Mr. Stoltenberg, we’ll all sleep better at night.
Expensive Career Jobs
The rate of immigration to Norway has for a long time been among the highest in Europe, both relatively and in real figures, and is changing the country forever. This is the immigration policy Mr. Støre also intends to pursue in the future, and both Labour and the present liberal Government are spending the oil revenues of Norway — funds belonging to the Norwegian populace — like drunken seamen on shore leave in Havana in order to promote international governance everywhere and as much as possible.
At the moment, Norway is pouring money down into bottomless pits in about 120 countries. God knows where it will all end up, because these projects are seldom evaluated, at least officially. Not so strange then that ambitious Norwegian career politicians are popular and getting international jobs, but to the detriment of the small ethnic Norwegian population, who will become a demographic minority their own country in only a few decades. A medal always has two sides.
Every year Norway contributes very handsomely to the Palestinian cause, both directly and indirectly through a number of NGOs. All parties in the Storting (the Norwegian Parliament) are ardent supporters of a multicultural global Society, and the majority is also eager to join the EU, even if 75% of the population is against it. Nevertheless, since people continue to vote for these people, they can’t really complain when they go to see their friends bringing the checkbook.
Mr. Jonas Gahr Støre shaking hands with Mr. Ismail Haniyeh, another top leader of Hamas, on March 28th 2007, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo in Wig, Ståle: Seierherren, Oslo 2014)
Sceptical Ambassador
According to Wikileaks documents, quoted by the influential leftist Norwegian paper Aftenposten, American diplomats were skeptical to the Norwegian contacts with Hamas. The American Ambassador to Norway, Mr. Benson K. Whitney, reported home that “Even if they will deny it, there are obvious indications that the (Norwegian Government’s) contact with Hamas is not only about tactical needs for a dialogue, but also because they support the position of Hamas on a certain level.”
As a result of the interview, the opposition criticized Mr. Støre for misleading the Parliament, a very serious accusation in a democratic Society. The Government (having a controlling majority) consequently on January 27th 2011 published a press release, denying that they were in contact with Hamas, and that Norway has never established connections with this organization on a political level. So, what are we to believe?
Terror Upon Terror
However, it’s part of the story that Mr. Støre while still Foreign Secretary visited the island of Utøya in 2009 the day before the terrorist Anders Behring Breivik massacred 69 members of the AUF (the Labour Party youth organization). Mr. Støre gave a lecture on the political situation in the Middle East, heavily applauded by the young socialists of the AUF.
It’s a well-known fact that AUF was — and probably still is — a staunch supporter of terrorist organization Hamas, and that they don’t clap their young hands for the survival of the State of Israel.
Carl Lexow is a retired journalist and author from Norway who lived in France during the 1960s.
Previously by Carl Lexow: The Alternatives
It doesn’t look like there’s much of a smoking gun here. The interviewer asks (in translation), “Have you yourself had conversations with Mr. Mashal?” I do not consider speaking by telephone a “conversation”, which I take to ordinarily mean an in-person colloquy. So the interviewee’s confusion is understandable. Of course, we would have to consider how ambiguous the Norwegian wording is. (Incidentally, at 0:43, for the first second or two, I thought the interviewer was saying, in English, “How do you say that…”.) And in correcting himself, the interviewee did not seem angry to me.
And what the hell is wrong with this TV crew? When interviewing a man, they put a bright window behind his back, so that his face is in shadow, and the viewer can’t properly see his facial expressions. It’s bad enough to put a black man’s face in shadow, but here the TV crew cannot even properly illuminate the pasty face of a Scandinavian!
I try to imagine how an intelligent Norwegian born in 1930 would react to the spectre of the Norwegian Foreign Minister in 2011 having amiable covert conversations with the head of an Arab-Muslim terrorist organization. What the heck?
Why is Norway politically involved in any way in the Middle East? It is analogous to the South Koreans taking a front and centre mediating role in the conflict between the violent wing of the Basque separatist movement and Spanish government in Madrid. Of course the Koreans don’t and never will, because the Koreans understand that it’s none of their business and it wouldn’t advance Korea’s interests in any way.
Norway and Sweden seem to have become the equivalent of the nutty, rather geographically distant neighbour, say 15 houses down the street, who gets involves in the marital discord in somebody else’s home (without being acquainted with husband or wife) because they are bored, have little else to do and just enjoy interfering because it makes them feel important. Crikey!
I think your last guess is very close, Julius. Pluss the fact that when you come from a small place, and are rich, you want to see the world. The socialist colleague of Messrs. Stoltenberg and Støre, a previous PM also he, Mr. Torbjørn Jagland, is today Secretary General of The European Council, now in his second term. It doesn’t make sense, however, that politicians coming from very small countries like Norway at the same time holds both these important offices in European politics, if it wasn’t for the money. Best rgds, Carl.
P.S. Mr. Jagland is the same man who, as chairman of the Nobel Committee, to the surprise of the rest of the World 6 years ago, presented President Barack Obama with the Nobel Peace Price, just a fortnight after his inauguration. It’s funny, though, for just today, Mr. Jagland has been sacked as chairman by his peers, but is still on the Committee.
Støre can honestly and reasonably be described as the ‘south end of a horse travelling north’, a devious, nasty liar, in other words a perfect politician.
One may reasonably therefore suppose I’m a supporter of the chubby PM ‘Iron Erna’ Solberg and that used to be the case, however photo’s of her a few days ago mixing happily with the mosquerats in Oslo’s most radical mosque have put paid to that theory, and leaves me wondering how Solberg and her Finance minister Siv Jensen can possibly work together, given Jensen’s immense dislike of muslims and anti-immigrant stance.
The author states that Støre is likely to become PM in 2017 since chubby Erna is busily pulling the mat out from underneath herself, but there is the possibility of a resurgence of Fremskrittspartiet under Siv Jensen, and one can only hope that Norwegians continue to show the commonsense which saw them ditch the traitorous muslim-hugger Stoltenberg, who is now happily leading the equally traitorous Serbia bombing, muslim hugging NATO.
We live in interesting times.
I’m very impressed by your knowledge of the state of the realm, Peter35, you certainly are well informed. By the way, I noticed that you were commenting on the Norwegian blog Rights the other day? Well done.
The coalition government of “Iron Erna”, the PM from the liberal/conservative parties Høyre and Fremskrittspartiet, now has approx. 30 % support, while Støre’s party alone, Arbeiderpartiet (Labour), has more than 40 % and will if necessary, join hands with several smaller parties to the left and center. So it looks like we are up for a change in the next elections taking place in 2 1/2 years. The reason being, of course, that Fremskrittspartiet which has previously built its reputation as an anti-immigrant party, is now loosing votes because they have submitted to the immigrantlovers in Høyre (Conservative). Same [excrement] as in England, where it seems that Camerone is facing a similar fate. Fortunately for the British, they have Ukip, while we have nothing. Conservative parties are now vanishing from power all over Europe.
So, as you are saying, we live in interesting times. It doesn’t seem that people care much, though, about the fate of their children and grandchildren, who are already born and playing happily at their feet, ignoring their fate because they trust their parents to look after them. But for most, it’s business as usual and football on the telly on Saturday. Poor children.
In my opinion, we now have nobody to vote for, since it looks like the politicians are hating us. Really, I think they do. So maybe we should now start hating them back a little, in earnest? Media also. They keep on lying and are supressing the facts about what’s going on. At the best, we are only told half-truths by these spineless people who don’t have the guts to put forward their own opinions, only what’s politically correct. Best regards, Carl
Thanks for your kind comments Carl, understandably I find your excellent essays interesting as I lived in Norway in the late 50’s and my wife is from Helgeland.
Julius raised a good point as to why Norway would be so involved with Hamas and the Palestinians which is of course no doubt tied in with the fact Norwegians are so (inexplicably) anti-Semitic, and will do anything to torment the Israelis my wife and I support. (While interestingly her sister is, and my late father-in-law was, anti-Semitic.)
Sad to hear things are not going so well for Fremskrittspartiet, we had hoped for a miracle there, but then people are fickle; Americans voted in a muslim–and re-elected him, while here in Canada the silly public is flirting with a man I can only describe as a vacuous idiot, and while they may or may not vote him in this time, I predict that with the certainty of doom, Canadians will one day vote in Justin Trudeau as PM.
Cheers, Pete
Many things are difficult to explain these days, Pete. Why so many Europeans (and Norwegians) are hostile to Israel is one of those things. 30-40 years ago it was the opposite. Arbeiderpartiet in particular was a great friend of Israel, and they even furnished Israel with some heavy water. It’s strange, because should Israel fall, Europe will be next in line. Let’s hope that Israel and the US can co-operate and join forces in the Middle East. That would be a relief to us all.
Helgeland is a beautiful spot on Planet Earth, with mountains and fjords, rivers and glaciers, a bit like places in Canada, perhaps? I have never been to your Country, so I can’t say, really, but I have of course seen pictures and many films of beautiful countryside. The Canadian Ambassador to Norway gave me a book many years ago of the great Salmon Rivers of Canada, and being a keen fisherman myself, I should very much like to go there to try my luck. Please give my best regards to your wife. Sincerely, Carl
OT, but your comment re fishing in Norway reminds me of all the Anthony Trollope novels where different characters in that upper class milieu would traipse off to Norway for a few weeks of salmon fishing. Some were going for the sport of it, some were kind of ‘getting out of Dodge’ for a while. I wonder if the fisherman-tourist was ever an important part of Norway’s economy in the ~ 1850s.
My mother’s mother lived on the banks of the River Liffey (back when it was clean) and her brothers used to wade in to grab salmon for breakfast. The sport of it wasn’t interesting to them, but food certainly was. The girls would pick mushrooms to accompany the fresh salmon. Now, we buy wild-caught salmon only and only in small amounts because of the price.If it’s too prohibitive, that means eating only canned fish which is fine by me.
Oh my God, Dymphna! Now I’m really going to get OT! Yes – you’re right. Many English Upper Class gentlemen, with friends and even their families, went to Norway – the Northern Playground – in the 19th Century – to fish and hunt. Nearly all big rivers have had their “Englishmen periods”, when they rented beats and sometimes entire rivers for the summer season or concluded contracts for many seasons, if they liked the fishing.
The fun sort of ended in 1914, when they suddenly didn’t come any more, and many never came back for the season 1919 to claim their gear which was left behind on the farm. And besides they hired ghillies and boatmen, cooks and servants. Often they returned to the same places for decades, stayed in hotels for months, built their own houses next to a good pool or even purchased farms which owned good salmon beats. Many, many books are written on this subject. And of course, it meant a lot commercially in those areas where this took place.
The Norwegians in the 19th Century were in general rather poor, and like your ancestor’s, never regarded salmon fishing from a fly fisher’s point of view. It was food, and that was it. Many a fish was speared with a hay fork, or netted in every thinkable way. Old people tell me that when they were young they used to bring horses to pull the nets in the estuary, because they otherwise were too heavy to haul by hand.
But most important in the long run, the English taught the locals to tie flies and fish with a rod for sport and this of course has had a tremendous impact. Alas, today, as you are saying, wild salmon has become rare and in most rivers you are only allowed a small quota, let’s say one or two fish a day, and then it’s often a catch and release thing.
I could go on, Dymphna, but in Norway it’s now past midnight, and I’m boring your readers, so I say Good night for now. Tight lines, Carl
Thank you for your explanation. This reader of your comment isn’t bored atall, atall.
It’s as though you expanded a Trollope novel –> gave us a glimpse beyond the margins of those pages. I recommend Trollope to anyone who is interested in history by osmosis. His novels are a fascinating look back we wouldn’t have otherwise.
He also gave England the red postal box and devised the delivery service to go with it. Imagine – an enlightened bureaucrat back when such creatures were possible.
“The Untouchables (Dalits) of India want economic, social, political, religious and educational equality in Society, not in the eyes of God”
(Harbans Lal Badhan)
Indian Caste system is more dangerous, cruel, barbarous, inhuman, violent and harmful than any other kind of Racial Discrimination or Slavery system. Indian Caste system is an unnatural and unscientific system made by the enemies and antisocial elements and the enemies of unity, equality, liberty and fraternity. It (Indian Caste system) is not only a social, economic, religious and political evil but also a mental disease and mental sickness. It (Indian) should be banned at any cost by Act of Parliament or by the Law of the State. Otherwise, It will spoil and kill the democratic institutions and secularism of any great civilization or state and society. It (Indian Caste system) will slaughter the unity, peace, and economic and scientific development and progress of state and society. Indian Caste system is also an enemy of human rights and fundamental rights of an individual. It (Indian Caste system) is not only a monster but also devil. To believe in Caste and Untouchability is not only crime against humanity but also a violation of human rights and fundamental rights of an individual. Indian Caste system is more dangerous and harmful than chemical weapons. It (Indian Caste system) is a great threat and challenge to world peace and global society.
If you want to save your country, religion, society, great civilization, unity, peace, democracy and secularism of your civilized society, annihilate the India Caste system and Untouchability.