BDS operatives protest Israel in Oslo, Norway
BDS operatives protest Israel in Oslo, NorwayiStock

Prime Minister Netanyahu dressed down Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide over the lavish funding her government has been giving anti-Israel organizations.

According to the Israel Hayom report, Netanyahu demanded that Norway "cease funding anti-Israel and anti-Zionist organizations".

Netanyahu added that funding such organizations "was interfering in Israel's internal affairs" and said that "there cannot be activities on such a wide scope. It is not legitimate for states to act like this to each other," said the prime minister during the 50 minute dressing down.

Eriksen Søreide contended in response that the organizations that enjoyed Norweigien funding were human rights organizations and were not involved in political activity.

Netanyahu's remarks came after an Israel Hayom expose which found that the Oslo-funded Norweigian Refugee Center has been systematically flooding Israel's court system with lawsuits against the government's policy in Judea and Samaria. The litigation was done in tandem with radical left-wing groups, including Yesh Din.

Israel has long been infuriated by Norway's penchant for funding groups that operate against the state. In January, Mako reported that Norway was financing a research group with ties to the Palestine Strategy Group (PSG), a think tank which conducts anti-Israel research.

London's Oxford Research Group (ORG) works with PSG, a group headed by Coordinator Husam Zomlot.

One of PSG's studies focuses on how to involve Israeli Arabs in the Palestinian Authority's anti-Israel campaign and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Another of their studies examines if Israeli Arabs should be encouraged to boycott Israeli elections.

In December, Norway announced that it would limit its funding to Palestinian Arab non-governmental organizations (NGOs) promoting anti-Israel incitement.

However, a senior member of the country's Labor party signed an agreement to transfer $20 million for Norwegian People's Aid projects in the Palestinian Authority. These projects aim to plant trees on thousands of acres in strategic areas of Judea and Samaria with the aim of creating agricultural wedges isolating local Jewish communities.