A Norwegian who loves Israel - interview

Living in Israel for nearly 10 years, I have been fortunate to meet some amazing people from all over the world, and I have been blessed to do numerous TV interviews speaking about my life and work out of Israel and especially about my love for the Jewish people.

One of the TV stations who interviewed me several times is Vision Norway, a Christian station who has been doing incredible work for Israel for many years.

I was interviewed by Haakon Sengsvoll and he is an interesting man involved in many exciting programs about Israel, and also organizing trips to Israel.

He has a love for Israel and the Jewish people. He was in Israel October 7 when the massacre happened, and he now lives in Norway, one of the countries which has just recognized Palestine as a state.

I asked Haakon to share about the times he has been to Israel and what he was doing here.

"I have been to Israel many times. In fact, since my first visit to Israel back in 1991, I have been to Israel 55 times.  The number of times is mostly related to my work, but I have also been to Israel a number of times on vacation together with my family."

Why do you support Israel? 

I support Israel because it is the right thing to do. The Jewish people were expelled from the country and have been living in the diaspora for almost 2000 years, keeping the dream of once returning alive. 

The Balfour declaration and the San Remo agreement laid the legal foundation for this to happen. Unfortunately, it took too long to establish a Jewish state, but when it happened in 1948 it was a miracle, like an act of God. Never before had an indigenous people returned to their homeland to re-establish their nation-state. It is sad that it was not available as a safe haven for the millions who perished in the Holocaust. 

It is also sad that because of the hostilities from the neighbouring Arab countries, Israel had to go through many wars to secure its land. For me it is obvious that Israel has been seeking peace while its enemies want to destroy the country. I can also add a spiritual dimension to that. In Genesis 12.3 it clearly says that  “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse.” Obviously, I want to be amongst the blessed.

What are your thoughts about what happened on Oct 7th and how did it impact you? 

On October 7th my wife and I were tour leaders for a group of Norwegians visiting Israel. We have a tradition of bringing groups of Norwegians to Israel for the Sukkot. This morning, we woke up to the terrible news staying in a hotel in Netanya. First, we thought it was just some heavier red alerts, but after a while checking the news, we understood it was a much worse situation. So what should have been a day of relaxing at the beach turned into taking care of the group, trying to calm people down. 

We did not experience any red alerts in Netanya, so for us, it was a bit unreal. Relatives of the members in our tour group were worried and asking questions about our situation. We were supposed to leave the next morning, October 8, but our flight was cancelled. Without any drama, we succeeded to have all the group rescheduled for flights out of Israel on October the 9th. 

Personally, I felt sad to leave as something inside me wanted to stay and show support. But at the same time, we were happy that we succeeded bringing all the members of the tour group back to Norway again.

What happened on October 7 has impacted the content  of the programming of our TV channel. The war in Gaza and in the north have been the main topic ever since. 

How is your governments policy towards Israel, did it change after the Oct 7 onslaught? 

I am very sad about my government. They have been taking the wrong turn and become an enemy to Israel. First, they did not approve the King’s request to send condolences. They have been very outspoken critics of Israel, with false accusations of genocide, applauding the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court. Their financial support of UNWRA is another example on how biased they are. 

It looks like they have huge problems accepting Israel’s reports but no problem swallowing all they are served by Hamas. In the end, the antisemitism is rising. It is sad and pathetic, how this government shows its hostility towards Israel.

How is your mainstream media reporting about Israel since Oct 7? 

The mainstream media in Norway is biased towards the conflict. It has been like this for decades. What we see now is just a continuation of this. It is a clear correlation between their way of reporting and the rise of antisemitism, so it is sad to see how they are acting. There are a few exceptions though and I am proud to be working in a media outlet with a clear support for Israel.

What about antisemitic attacks in your nation, did you see a spike in antisemitism since October 7? 

There has been a spike in antisemitism and many from the Jewish community express fear of showing Jewish symbols in public. Antisemitic slogans have been heard from pro-Palestinian demonstrations. 

Have you been to Israel since the October 7th onslaught and how do you experience the nation now? 

I have been to Israel three times since October 7th. In February I was making some interviews and I was also part of a small solidarity tour and visited Kfar Aza and the Nova festival. In April I was having a small tour group to Israel for another solidarity tour. Again, we visited the south, Sderot, Nova and Kibbutz Kissufim. 

We were also to the Hostages and Family Forum in Tel Aviv and met with some of the relatives of the hostages. Last time I visited this year was in the end of May for Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast where we come together to show support and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. 

During my last three visits, I observed a lot less tourists. When talking to people, many are curious and ask why we are here. All the people I have met have been very thankful for us coming, and I feel a special pleasure in saying that I am from Norway and that I am visiting Israel to show my support for Israel and the Jewish people. Hopefully, the trauma will come to an end and if I can bring some healing by coming and showing support, it will be worth it.

Have there been any pro-Israel rallies or events in your country since October 7th and did you participate? What was your experience?

There have been a few pro-Israel rallies that I have been part of since October 7th.  I have been to three of them. They have been located outside the parliament in Oslo. It was a pleasure to be there showing my support for Israel, together with the Jewish community in Norway. On the other side of the street, pro-Palestinian activists were shouting, making noise to hinder us, but we were there anyway. 

In one of the rallies, we were supposed to bring signatures to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but the police did not allow us to walk the few hundred meters because of the pro-Palestinian mob. So, the police was there, protecting us. They never need to protect the pro-Palestinians. There is a huge difference between those two camps…

How would you encourage the Jewish people

Last week, my wife and I went to an event in The Hague called The Trial. Together with 800 others from over 40 different nations we gathered to sign a decree in two copies. One for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and one for Israel. 

With instructions to the kings and judges about the trial that will be held in the valley of Jehoshaphat, against those nations who have scattered Israel among the nations and parted my land (Joel 3:2), we called upon the ICJ specifically to act in accordance with the word of God. I want my nation to be a sheep nation and not to be judged for ill treatment of Israel. This is what we pray for and we are longing to see our nation change their course. Next year we will have a new parliamentary election. We will have a new government. And Norway will again stand with Israel. So help us God!

Thank you to Haakon for sharing his heart and thought with all of us. I feel privileged to know you and your family and its always a delight for me to meet and speak to the groups your are bringing to Israel.

With the Government in Norway being so anti-Israel it's so heartwarming to know that Israel has so many amazing friends in Norway who forever stands with the Jewish Homeland.