Some believe that the recent diplomatic appointments to Israel embassy in Norway reflect an attempt by the Foreign Ministry to paint a new image of Israel, recognizing that country views Israel as racist.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has appointed Prof. Naim Araidi as the new ambassador. Araidi is a member of the country’s Druse community. His deputy will be George Deek, a member of the country’s Christian Arab community.
According to the Yediot Achronot report, a recent poll showed that Norwegians view Israeli as racist and an anti-peace nation.
Professor Araidi is on staff at Haifa and Bar Ilan Universities and he is the dean of the Arab Academic College for Education. He is a recipient of the Prime Minister’s Price for Hebrew Literature. His doctorate is on the works of Uri Tzvi Greenberg.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
This could explain why the Israelis seem to be adopting a Norwegian animal, the Lemming, as a role model for some of their domestic policies (such as drafting Arabs and hareidim).
These Norwegian reshoim are going to change their opinion? I do not think so.
Except that lemmings don’t really commit suicide. Disney had to push them over the cliff for that famous movie, because they don’t do it on their own. Israel is behaving like the Disney lemming, while the Norwegians are more familiar with the real thing, so the act won’t impress them.