Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide has highlighted that nations critical of Russia frequently remain “very quiet” regarding Israel’s military operations in the Palestinian territory.
Norway’s foreign minister informed the Financial Times that Western countries, while condemning Russia’s military actions in Ukraine, frequently refrain from criticizing Israel’s offensive in Gaza, which has led to a significant humanitarian catastrophe.
During an interview on Tuesday, Espen Barth Eide asserted that Western nations compromise their credibility by approaching the two conflicts distinctly and selectively.
“By very correctly criticizing Russia… but until recently being very quiet on Gaza — that tells other parts of the world that we are not really seeing these as absolute norms but more like a menu that we can pick arguments from,” he stated.
He characterized the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “worse than hell on earth,” emphasizing that numerous countries perceive the West as applying double standards. He further noted, “We would be well advised to try to understand, not agree, what they think, and what many out there think is an inconsistent application of international law.”
After Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel in October 2023, the Jewish state initiated a military operation in Gaza. These hostilities have resulted in tens of thousands of civilian fatalities, a humanitarian catastrophe, and unparalleled devastation.
Although Western nations have expressed serious concern regarding the situation in Gaza, it was not until May 2025 that the governments of the UK, France, and Canada released a statement condemning Israel’s military actions.
Furthermore, France, Spain, Ireland, Norway, and Slovenia have recently proceeded with the official recognition of the State of Palestine, while the UK has also cautioned of forthcoming recognition unless Israel halts hostilities.
The United States, a crucial ally of Israel, has notably refrained from condemning West Jerusalem, characterizing the recent wave of recognitions as advantageous to Hamas and detrimental to peace. In June, the US also exercised its veto power on a UN Security Council resolution advocating for a “permanent ceasefire in Gaza,” contending that the text did not mandate Hamas’s disarmament and withdrawal from the enclave.
Western nations have mostly refrained from implementing sanctions against Israel, unlike the unparalleled sanctions imposed on Russia in 2022.