Norway urges US to pressure Israel to release Palestinian tax funds

Norway has called on the US to use its influence to push Israel to release withheld Palestinian tax revenues, warning of deepening economic strain on the Palestinian Authority. Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told the Israeli media outlet Haaretz that engaging US-backed institutions could help shift Israeli policy. “The fact that we are now incorporating the American institutions, which they enthusiastically have set up, might actually be the best way also to influence Israel,” he said, adding that Washington still holds sway as Israel’s circle of allies narrows.