Israel shunned a Norwegian dignitary who met with the Palestinian Authority prime minister. Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Raymond Johansen was scheduled to meet with the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem on Tuesday, but the event was called off. Israeli officials said the decision was made after Johansen traveled to Gaza on Monday to meet Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, becoming the first Western dignitary to engage directly with the Islamist terrorist group since it formed a coalition government with the more moderate Fatah movement over the weekend. Israel instituted a policy of shunning visiting foreign dignitaries who meet with Hamas leaders after Hamas won Palestinian Authority elections last year. It was not immediately clear if it would similarly treat dignitaries who meet with non-Hamas members of the new administration.
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