The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs conceded last November to the pro-Israel NGO With Israel for Peace (Med Israel for Fred, or MIFF) that capital cities are not subject to recognition by other countries.
At some point following a March 7 letter from MIFF, Norway changed its website to note that it recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and does not recognize a Palestinian state. The bulk of the international community has long claimed that it doesn’t recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital due to the lack of settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel has countered that no other country has been denied the right to select its own capital.
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs told JNS that its Middle East team was working on this week’s Ad Hoc Liaison Committee meeting in Brussels and would need more time to address the questions posed about the changes.
As to whether he thought the changes will lead to differences in real-world diplomacy, Myrland said he was playing the long game.
“We regret to admit it, but we do not think it will translate into different practice at this moment,” Myrland told JNS. “But MIFF’s long-term goal is to see the Norwegian embassy moved to Israel’s capital.”