Israel Boycott: Norway City Restricts Settlement Goods, Condemns Palestine Occupation Under Growing European Movement

Norway's third largest city, Trondheim, approved a resolution last week to boycott goods and services originating from Israeli settlements in Palestine, according to local publication Adresseavisen. The resolution is part of a global movement advocating to boycott, divest from and sanction Israeli settlements that are not recognized by international law.

The resolution was reportedly drafted as a suggestion by local transport worker and activist Ole Roger Berg. Berg gathered 340 signatures along with his proposal, which also condemned the Israeli occupation of Palestine and policies that harm the sovereignty and livelihood of Palestinians.

The resolution was supported by the Labor Party, the Socialist Party, the Green Party and the Red Party. It was opposed by the Conservatives, Progress Party, Pensioner's Party, Christian Democratic Party and Centre Party.

"This is an illegal occupation. It is impossible to doubt it, and the U.N. has also said it in several resolutions. But in spite of U.N. resolutions and statements by the International Court in The Hague, Israel aggressively pursues its occupation policy. Illegal settlements have expanded, construction of the wall continues, and the Palestinians are subjected to daily harassment and face major obstacles in their lives. This is a policy that Trondheim cannot support," Permanent City Council Member Julie Instad Hole of the Labor Party said.

A number of European cities, companies and universities have adopted measures restricting the use of goods and services from Israel's unrecognized settlements in recent years. Last year, the European Union required goods manufactured in Israeli settlements to be labeled with their place of origin. The Norwegian Labor Party attempted in 2014 to institute a nationwide boycott of Israeli settlement goods, but the proposal was defeated in parliament.

Trondheim established a sister city relationship with the Israeli city of Petah Tikvah in 1975 and the Palestinian city of Ramallah in 2004.