Israel bristled at a critique by the Norwegian ambassador to Israel about alleged Israeli torture practices.
Norwegian TV this week aired a leaked memorandum by Ambassador Jakken Bjorn Lian in which he quoted recent human-rights allegations about the torture tactics of Israel’s security services during closed-door interrogations of suspected terrorists.
The memorandum, which apparently was aimed at helping Oslo decide whether to file a formal complaint with Jerusalem, drew censure from Israeli officials.
“The Norwegian ambassador hasn’t a clue what he’s talking about,” Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter told Israel Radio. “The subject of interrogations in Israel is a transparent subject, not just when it comes to Israeli officialdom but also vis-a-vis the Red Cross.”
The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem summoned Lian for clarifications, though Oslo officials described the meeting as routine.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
