Norwegians Ask for Israel's Forgiveness

Teresa Neumann : Dec 6, 2013
Ari Yashar – Israel National News

"We believe we are called as a nation to be an ally and to support Israel, and we, as leaders, want to work for change in our country, and for a repentance among the Christians in our country. We want to support Israel." -Official Norwegian Declaration

(Israel)—A group of Norwegian Christians visited Israel this week asking for forgiveness for "Norway's antagonism toward Jews."

Said Pastor Terje Ligerod, head of the Norwegian delegation: "We believe we are called as a nation to be an ally and to support Israel, and we, as leaders, want to work for change in our country, and for a repentance among the Christians in our country. We want to support Israel."

Ligerod delivered a declaration to Israeli representatives, listing the things they were repenting for. In part, it reads: "Forgive us, Israel, as a nation, for the Oslo agreement dividing up Eretz Yisrael; for not moving our embassy from Tel Aviv to Israel's eternal undivided capitol city of Jerusalem…"

The declaration also states that Norway has not defended Israel in a media and political world hostile to the Jewish nation.

Josh Reinstein, Director of the Knesset Allies Caucus, was quoted as saying that while Norway has in the past been an antagonistic nation, the delegation's visit "comes on the heels of a new election [in Norway] where a Christian political party has been elected to Parliament," and predicted it may herald the beginning of new relations with the country.

Faith based diplomacy, he added, "is the most influential weapon we have in the diplomatic cache today."