Middle East Crisis Reactions

Oil Fund Criticized: Retaining Designated Companies

The Norwegian state's enormous pension fund, the Oil Fund, is receiving criticism after today's announcement that it has chosen to retain its investments in 14 Israeli companies that have been identified as having strong links to violations of international law. This is reported by Dagens Næringsliv.

One of the Israeli companies that will remain in the portfolio is ICL Group – a company that manufactures fertilizer and several other types of chemicals. The Oil Fund is heavily invested in the company, the newspaper writes.

"ICL Group produces white phosphorus that is sold to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF)," writes Pål Nygaard, historian at the Oslo School of Economics and initiator of the uprising Historians for Palestine.

According to several human rights organizations, white phosphorus from the company has been used in bombs dropped over Gaza, according to Dagens Næringsliv. However, Israel has denied the human rights organizations' information.

Denmark wants to send emergency aid to Gaza

The Danish government has decided to send a Hercules aircraft to Gaza to deliver emergency aid from the air, reports Danish TV2.

– It is, in a way, a drop in the ocean. But it is better to throw a drop in the ocean than for the ocean to dry up completely, says Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen.

The government hopes to deliver two so-called “airdrops” using the Danish military’s Hercules C-130J aircraft. For this to happen, Israel must approve the plane’s passage through its airspace. There is currently an open window for this until August 22.

Council of Europe urges to stop arms deliveries

Stop arms deliveries to Israel if the weapons could be used for human rights violations. That is the message to the member states of the Council of Europe from the Council's Commissioner Michael O'Flaherty, several news agencies report.

The statement comes after Germany announced that it is stopping the export of weapons that could be used in the Gaza war.

- However, more needs to be done, and quickly, says O'Flaherty according to AFP.

Several world leaders have condemned Israel's plan to take over Gaza City, which the country's security cabinet approved last week. Since then, attacks in Gaza City have intensified, the spokesman for Gaza's civil defense says, according to AFP.