Norway’s role in the Oslo Accords questioned after key figures appear in Epstein files
Norway has always lauded itself for its role in international diplomacy, most notably for its facilitating of the Oslo Accords signed by Israel and the Palestinians in 1993.
That image was based on its self-created reputation for diplomatic neutrality and impartiality, but recent revelations in the trove of files released related to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein cast serious doubts on that narrative.
Mona Juul and her husband Terje Rod-Larsen, two significant Norwegian figures involved in the accords, appeared as close contacts of the late billionaire and sexual offender.
The latest disclosures have also drawn renewed attention on documents related to the agreement that have been missing for over 33 years.
The Red Party, a socialist political party in Norway, is now demanding that Rod-Larsen and Juul, who served as ambassador to Israel in 2001, hand over the private archives.
Juul most recently was the Norwegian ambassador to Jordan and Iraq until the Epstein scandal forced her suspension and later resignation.
Norwegian police are currently investigating the extent of ties between Juul and Rod-Larsen and Epstein. The pair are facing charges of corruption and complicity.
Epstein is widely understood to have worked as an agent of Israel and was a close confidante of its former prime minister, Ehud Barak.
Bjornar Moxnes, member of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence in the Norwegian parliament, and former leader of the Red party, says that Norway’s role in the creation of the Oslo Accords must be investigated given the scandal.
“The roles that the peace brokers were playing needs to be investigated because they have created a romanticised image of the whole process,” Moxnes told Middle East Eye.
“Norway was not a neutral player as they [Juul and Rod-Larsen] have tried to make it look like.”
The ‘fairytale’
In Norway, the narrative after the accords has been used to portray the kingdom as a peace-nurturing nation.
But in reality the agreement has been a failure and a catastrophe for the Palestinian people, as Israel’s settler colonisation continues with impunity and tens of thousands of Palestinians are killed in Gaza and the West Bank.
Hilde Henriksen Waage , Norwegian professor of history at the University of Oslo and senior researcher at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), has researched the Oslo Accords for over two decades.
In 2004, she discovered that hundreds of documents were missing from the archives of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In the process of writing a study titled “Peacemaking Is a Risky Business”, she discovered that there were no documents related to the Oslo Process between January to September 1993 in the archives.
None have been provided by the Norwegian government despite continuous requests.
In 2000, while Juul served as the undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry, Waage was called into her office and was told to stop her research to protect Norway’s role in the Oslo Accords.
“The Oslo Accords was seen as the huge breakthrough for Norway as a nation of peace. Because peace mediation became a very powerful Norwegian export product, it became important for Norwegian governments and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to hold on to this fairytale,” Waage told Middle East Eye.
She adds that this fairytale was created by Juul and Rod-Larsen, as they set the narrative on how the deal came about.
The myth making about Norway’s role in Oslo was conveyed in a 2017 play titled Oslo, which was financed by Jeffrey Epstein, as well as a movie of the same name produced by Steven Spielberg in 2021.
But the reality was that real peace was never on the agenda, according to Waage.
“The only problem is just that there was no peace, and my research shows that the Oslo Accords was a deal created solely on Israel's premises, where Norway was willingly running a duty for Israel,” she said.
She highlights that this fact is devastating for “the brand of Norway as a peace broker”.
“In peace negotiations, it is always the strongest party that defines the outcome.
“There is no such thing as a neutral facilitator, and the truth is that the couple briefed the Israelis in advance, under and after every round of negotiations on which role the Palestinians and PLO had. In the end, they just got crumbs.”
She emphasised that this did not mean that the couple were especially pro-Israel or in agreement with Israeli policies but that Norway simply leaned towards the stronger party.
Charged with corruption
Last week, Juul was charged with corruption by Norway’s financial crimes squad (Okokrim), while her husband Rod-Larsen was charged with complicity.
According to Pal Lonseth, head of the national authority for the investigation and prosecution of economic and environmental crime, they will investigate whether any benefits were received in connection to Juul’s position in the foreign service.
In 2018, the couple bought an apartment in Oslo for far below market price.
In the Epstein files, email correspondence shows how the convicted sex offender apparently pressured the owner to sell the apartment for below its actual price.
“It will become unpleasant,” Epstein told the seller if he backed out over the low price.
Epstein’s will included Rod-Larsen and Juul’s two youngest children as beneficiaries, and they were in line to inherit a total of $10m.
Lawyers for both Juul and Rod-Larsen have said that their clients are certain that allegations against them will be found to be without merit, and that they are cooperating with investigations.
In 2020, Rod-Larsen resigned as director of the International Peace Institute in New York (IPI), following the disclosures that Epstein lent him money and donated to his organisation.
In 2017, Rod-Larsen told Epstein that he appreciated him for "everything you have done" and described him as his “best friend”.
Rod-Larsen helped secure US visas for young Russian women in Epstein’s orbit, writing letters of recommendation for them to apply for research roles.
The women say they were abused by Epstein. One victim explained to Norwegian broadcaster NRK that Rod-Larsen facilitated her visa after a request from Epstein’s assistant.
The lawyer for one of the victims who was interviewed told NRK that the IPI and Rod-Larsen were not involved in sexual offences.
The Red Party’s Moxnes said that missing documents needed to be handed over to the archives of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The documents that are missing will probably show that the Norwegian peace brokers were eager messengers for Israel, and they [the documents] can tear down the fairytale about Norway’s role in the Middle East, and could possibly show why the Oslo Accords didn’t result in peace.”
Moxnes says that a special law can be adopted that will force the government to hand over the missing documents.
“I believe that it is important for Palestinians that the whole truth about the Oslo Accords comes forth, 'Oslo' is a slur in the streets of Palestine due to the agreement.”
He adds that following the latest disclosures, Norway should pressure Israel through boycotts and economic sanctions.
“Norway should definitely pressure the occupying power, as traditional diplomacy has been attempted while the expansion of settlements and a genocidal war has been happening.”