Michelle Stirling is a Calgary-based journalist with extensive international experience.Norway took what some consider a bold step, when it recognized a Palestinian state. But effectively, they are rewarding Hamas, the elected government of Gazan Palestinians, for their terrorism.Let us imagine some foreign state looked at Norway in the aftermath of the murderous rampage of Anders Breivik. Let’s say that the outsider state did not agree with Breivik’s manifesto, but they felt that he deserved a state of his own. After all, despite his racist manifesto, he had taken well-planned, violent action to get attention for it. This is why he plotted for years to gather sufficient materials to make a car bomb which on July 22, 2011, exploded in Oslo and killed 8 people. He plotted for years to gather up the weapons with which he murdered dozens of innocent children and youth, who were just enjoying summer camp.The bomb was in a van. The explosion killed eight people and injured at least 209 people, twelve severely. Next, according to Wikipedia, Breivik, who was dressed in a homemade police uniform and showing false identification, took a ferry to the island of Utøya and opened fire at the summer camp participants, methodically killing 69 and injuring 32 over more than an hour.So, his actions killed 77 that day and wounded 241.According to BBC, somewhere between 1,500 and 3,000 Hamas terrorists took part in the October 7, 2023, raid on Israel, wherein some 1,200 Israelis were gunned down and 240 taken hostage.By comparison, horribly, inconceivably, one man — Anders Breivik, proportionately killed and injured more people. Of his own people! In otherwise peaceful Norway.So should a foreign power decree to Norway that Anders should be rewarded with a state of his own? Despite his view and actions being abhorrent, illegal and reprehensible? Such devious planning and ultimate deceit. He dressed up like a police officer so that people — children and young people — would trust that he’d save them; just as he shot them. Despite all that, if given a state, would he have any further reason to fight? Surely this would bring peace in Norway, and he would not be a threat. Rather than sitting in solitary confinement in jail, he could achieve his dream that he would be regent of Norway, or at least a part of it. Why not the island of Utøya? After all, it’s just a sliver of land.Of course, this imaginary scenario is disgusting and repulsive to the hundreds of families in Norway whose loved ones were murdered or maimed for life.But, this is what Norway is doing to Israel. This is what Norway and Spain and Ireland are doing to all the Israeli families who are mourning their dead… and all who are writhing in anguish over the unknown fate of their Israeli loved ones, who are still held hostage.Another difference with the Breivik ‘incident’ (people sometimes use that word about the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of Israelis) is that when the police “Delta” SWAT unit arrived, Breivik surrendered peacefully.By contrast, of course, Israel has had to send thousands of young men and women into battle against Hamas, by land, sea and air. Dozens of special forces trained to deal with booby trapped tunnels and Improvised Explosive Devices have been deployed to root out terrorists from the vast underground network of the “Gaza Metro” built by Hamas, some of it with your tax dollars. Many Israeli soldiers have died trying to save the hostages, trying to dismantle the booby traps, trying to track down the terrorists who did not surrender, who have not surrendered, who have not given over the hostages, who have changed the ceasefire script at the last minute from hostages to ‘live or bodies,’ and who now claim the ultimate victory. Further imagine that, if the world imposed a Breivik State on Norway, and then Norway found that actually a neighbour with whom they had peace, like Sweden, had allowed Breivik to build cross-border tunnels so that, had he not surrendered to the police, he could have spirited many of the youth away, and run away himself! Imagine how Norwegians would feel, surrounded by a traitorous ally on one side, and the warring Russia at their backdoor, perhaps also sailing through nearby waters, a shark circling a weakened prey. And then imagine that the rest of the world had marched and protested for, and then applauded the establishment of the Breivik State. To make peace in Norway, of course.Would Norwegians not feel beleaguered, tormented, abandoned by the world, and humiliated as they were forced to honor a madman who had just slaughtered some of their most beautiful youth, forced by international busybodies to deal with a state made in his name?This is what Norway has done to Israel with its high-handed, self-righteous recognition of a Palestinian State.Michelle Stirling is a Calgary-based journalist with extensive international experience.
Michelle Stirling is a Calgary-based journalist with extensive international experience.Norway took what some consider a bold step, when it recognized a Palestinian state. But effectively, they are rewarding Hamas, the elected government of Gazan Palestinians, for their terrorism.Let us imagine some foreign state looked at Norway in the aftermath of the murderous rampage of Anders Breivik. Let’s say that the outsider state did not agree with Breivik’s manifesto, but they felt that he deserved a state of his own. After all, despite his racist manifesto, he had taken well-planned, violent action to get attention for it. This is why he plotted for years to gather sufficient materials to make a car bomb which on July 22, 2011, exploded in Oslo and killed 8 people. He plotted for years to gather up the weapons with which he murdered dozens of innocent children and youth, who were just enjoying summer camp.The bomb was in a van. The explosion killed eight people and injured at least 209 people, twelve severely. Next, according to Wikipedia, Breivik, who was dressed in a homemade police uniform and showing false identification, took a ferry to the island of Utøya and opened fire at the summer camp participants, methodically killing 69 and injuring 32 over more than an hour.So, his actions killed 77 that day and wounded 241.According to BBC, somewhere between 1,500 and 3,000 Hamas terrorists took part in the October 7, 2023, raid on Israel, wherein some 1,200 Israelis were gunned down and 240 taken hostage.By comparison, horribly, inconceivably, one man — Anders Breivik, proportionately killed and injured more people. Of his own people! In otherwise peaceful Norway.So should a foreign power decree to Norway that Anders should be rewarded with a state of his own? Despite his view and actions being abhorrent, illegal and reprehensible? Such devious planning and ultimate deceit. He dressed up like a police officer so that people — children and young people — would trust that he’d save them; just as he shot them. Despite all that, if given a state, would he have any further reason to fight? Surely this would bring peace in Norway, and he would not be a threat. Rather than sitting in solitary confinement in jail, he could achieve his dream that he would be regent of Norway, or at least a part of it. Why not the island of Utøya? After all, it’s just a sliver of land.Of course, this imaginary scenario is disgusting and repulsive to the hundreds of families in Norway whose loved ones were murdered or maimed for life.But, this is what Norway is doing to Israel. This is what Norway and Spain and Ireland are doing to all the Israeli families who are mourning their dead… and all who are writhing in anguish over the unknown fate of their Israeli loved ones, who are still held hostage.Another difference with the Breivik ‘incident’ (people sometimes use that word about the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of Israelis) is that when the police “Delta” SWAT unit arrived, Breivik surrendered peacefully.By contrast, of course, Israel has had to send thousands of young men and women into battle against Hamas, by land, sea and air. Dozens of special forces trained to deal with booby trapped tunnels and Improvised Explosive Devices have been deployed to root out terrorists from the vast underground network of the “Gaza Metro” built by Hamas, some of it with your tax dollars. Many Israeli soldiers have died trying to save the hostages, trying to dismantle the booby traps, trying to track down the terrorists who did not surrender, who have not surrendered, who have not given over the hostages, who have changed the ceasefire script at the last minute from hostages to ‘live or bodies,’ and who now claim the ultimate victory. Further imagine that, if the world imposed a Breivik State on Norway, and then Norway found that actually a neighbour with whom they had peace, like Sweden, had allowed Breivik to build cross-border tunnels so that, had he not surrendered to the police, he could have spirited many of the youth away, and run away himself! Imagine how Norwegians would feel, surrounded by a traitorous ally on one side, and the warring Russia at their backdoor, perhaps also sailing through nearby waters, a shark circling a weakened prey. And then imagine that the rest of the world had marched and protested for, and then applauded the establishment of the Breivik State. To make peace in Norway, of course.Would Norwegians not feel beleaguered, tormented, abandoned by the world, and humiliated as they were forced to honor a madman who had just slaughtered some of their most beautiful youth, forced by international busybodies to deal with a state made in his name?This is what Norway has done to Israel with its high-handed, self-righteous recognition of a Palestinian State.Michelle Stirling is a Calgary-based journalist with extensive international experience.
