Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre says his government is once again willing to seek a truce in the Middle East and talk with the militant Palestinian organization Hamas, to help halt the fighting in Israel and Gaza. Støre has condemned Hamas’ attacks on Israel but still won’t call Hamas a “terrorist organization” like both the EU and US do.

Instead, Støre told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) on Monday, Hamas is “an organization that has conducted terror.” He stressed that Norway adheres to the UN’s list of terror organizations, but thinks it’s sufficient “to call Hamas (which launched surprise attacks over the weekend against Israeli civilians) an organization that’s responsible for having carried out terrorist acts.”

Støre’s foreign minister Anniken Huitfeldt has also refrained from calling Hamas a “terrorist organization” but Støre said his government’s position is nonetheless clear: “Hamas is responsible for terrorist acts and violated the rules of war.”

https://www.newsinenglish.no/2023/10/09/norway-offers-to-talk-with-hamas/