NORWAC (Norwegian Aid Committee) is a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

founded in 1983, and since 1994 organised as a foundation. The organisation is part of the Norwegian left-wing pro-

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

solidarity movement. Rømming, Ellen (June 2003). . Makt- og demokratiutredningens rapportserie, ISSN 1501-3065. It has worked in support of Palestinians in the

Palestinian territories The Palestinian territories are the two regions of the former British Mandate for Palestine that have been militarily occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967, namely: the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. The I ...

and in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

since its foundation. From 1999 to 2011 the organisation also worked in the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

, and it has worked in

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

since 2012. The group has been profiled by the medical doctors

Mads Gilbert Mads Fredrik Gilbert (born 2 June 1947) is a Norwegian physician, humanitarian, activist, and politician for the Red Party. He is a specialist in anesthesiology and head of the emergency medicine department at the University Hospital of North No ...

and

Erik Fosse Erik Fosse (born December 2, 1950) is a Norwegian physician, professor of medicine at the University of Oslo, and musician. Fosse is a specialist in general surgery and thoracic surgery, and is director of the Intervention Centre at the Nationa ...

(president of NORWAC) during the conflicts in Gaza.

Controversies

In 1989 the organisation came under scrutiny from the research team of

Marianne Heiberg Marianne Heiberg (7 December 1945 – 26 December 2004) was director of the UN organization for aid to Palestinian refugees UNRWA field office in Jerusalem. Biography She was born in Oslo, Norway, and received her education in the United States and ...

from

NUPI The Norwegian Institute of International Affairs ( no, Norsk utenrikspolitisk institutt; NUPI) is a Norwegian research institution based in Oslo, Norway. It was established by the Norwegian Parliament in 1959. History The Norwegian Institute of Int ...

as part of a broad investigation of aid organisations funded by public allocations. The organisation was criticised for minimal-to-none developmental effects, lack of understanding of local needs, lack of control mechanisms and unprofessional management. NORWAC was also criticised for supporting fringe factions in Palestinian politics, and concluded that it did not meet the most elementary requirements for an aid organisation, in particular due to its "sectarian" work and taking political concerns. The report recommended to

NORAD North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

to stop all public allocations to the organisation. NORWAC was also scrutinised during a subsequent investigation of funds allocated by the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

. During the conflicts in Gaza in 2009 and 2014, Gilbert and Fosse were accused in Norway and abroad of facilitating propaganda by

Hamas Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...

. Their work at the

Al-Shifa Hospital Al-Shifa Hospital ( ar, مستشفى الشفاء ''Mustashfa al-Shifa''), properly known as Dar Al-Shifa Hospital ( ar, مستشفى دار الشفاء ''Mustashfat dar al-Shifa'') is the largest medical complex and central hospital in the Gaza S ...

has been particularly noted amid allegations of the hospital's use as a Hamas headquarter. In 2014 Gilbert was banned indefinitely from entering Gaza through

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, officially for "security reasons", but according to intelligence sources because there had been revealed "close ties" between Gilbert and Hamas-leaders. In 2014 it was reported that a hospital run by NORWAC in Syria in the town

Tell Abyad Tell Abyad; ku, گرێ سپی, Girê Spî; hy, Թել Աբյադ; syr, ܬܠ ܐܒܝܕ. is a town in northern Syria. It is the administrative center of the Tell Abyad District within the Raqqa Governorate. Located along the Balikh River, it const ...

treated wounded soldiers from terrorist organisation

ISIL An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

(Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant). Since 2013, when the hospital started being funded through NORWAC by Norwegian public aid, it was reported that ISIL had taken full control of the hospital and the surrounding area. According to both Arab and Kurdish sources, the hospital had become reserved entirely for ISIL soldiers and supporters. Erik Fosse rejected the latter reports, while admitting that the hospital treated ISIL jihadists. After subsequent investigations by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs found that ISIL had enforced religious rules at the hospital, including rituals for prayer, gender segregation and regulations on clothing, Foreign Minister

Børge Brende Børge Brende (born 25 September 1965) is a Norwegian politician and diplomat, and has been the president of the World Economic Forum since 2017. A member of the Conservative Party, he previously was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 201 ...

cancelled all financial support directed to the hospital. While conforming to the decision, Fosse and NORWAC continued to deny that there were any enforcements by ISIL at the hospital.

References

{{reflist 1983 establishments in Norway Organizations established in 1983 Medical and health organizations based in the State of Palestine Foundations based in Norway Non-governmental organizations involved in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict