Norwegian politicians face criminal complaint over complicity in Gaza genocide

A criminal complaint has been lodged against several prominent Norwegian politicians, including Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, over accusations of complicity in Israel’s campaign of genocide in Gaza.

The complaint claims that these officials have violated Norwegian law that incorporates the Rome Statute’s provisions against genocide by directing investments that could contribute to war crimes, notably through stakes in defense firms that export to Israel،, the Middle East Eye reported on Tuesday.

The complaint, spearheaded by the activist group Grandmothers Against Genocide (Grag), is a response to the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has killed over 72,000 Palestinians since October 2023.

According to letters seen exclusively by the MEE, the Norwegian Prosecuting Authority has formally recommended that Kripos, the national criminal investigation service, investigate the matter, reversing a prior decision to dismiss it.

Among the politicians named are well-known figures like Jens Stoltenberg, the former NATO Secretary-General, and current Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide.

The complaint also includes the fund's chief executive, Nicolai Tangen, and Ida Wolden Bache, the governor of the Central Bank of Norway.

Norway's $2.2 trillion sovereign wealth fund—known as the Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG)—divested from 35 Israeli companies in 2025, citing breaches of its ethical investment policy.

But it continues to hold shares in 29 other Israeli companies following significant criticism from the United States in September 2025, where State Department officials expressed concern regarding Norway's divestment decision.

A proposal for overarching divestment from companies associated with war crimes was rejected by the Norwegian parliament in June, primarily due to opposition from the ruling Labour Party.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian Territories, has publicly warned of the legal ramifications of such investments, highlighting the potential breach of international law.

Kirsti Maehle, co-founder of Grag, said prosecuting the politicians would serve as a crucial step toward establishing accountability for those turning a blind eye to the suffering in Gaza.

“They sit in our parliament, the Storting, and vote in favour of the investments. That amounts to voting over contributing to crimes against humanity, which is absolutely outrageous,” she said.

Terje Einarsen, a professor of law at the University of Bergen, weighed in on the matter, offering his legal expertise to the ongoing complaint against the government.

According to Einarsen, “the Norwegian government leaders have probably been fully aware of the principal crimes and the actual contributions by several of the companies partly owned by the fund.”

However, he said, it is “not a necessary legal requirement that the Norwegian politicians personally have meant or wanted to contribute to the relevant atrocity crimes.”

“They may thus be legally responsible for aiding and abetting one or more crimes.”

A comprehensive 118-page report detailing the fund’s investments in companies associated with war crimes, was published in June 2025 by the academic group Historians for Palestine and subsequently submitted as evidence alongside the complaint.

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