The Norwegian ambassador to Israel, Torleiv Anda, apologized Wednesday for comparing the behavior of Israeli troops in the administered territories with that of the Nazis who occupied his country during World War II.
The envoy, who was summoned to the Foreign Ministry for an explanation by its political director general, Yossi Beilin, said later that the media “had not understood” his comments, as reported by Israel Radio, and expressed hope that Norway’s relations with Israel have not been impaired.
Anda, who was imprisoned in Buchenwald concentration camp for opposing the Nazi occupation, was quoted Tuesday as saying, “What the Germans did (in Norway), including beating and torturing prisoners and suspects, was very bad. But we do not remember them going into the streets to break peoples’ arms and legs, or pulling children out of their homes at night.”
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