Update: In March 2006, the regional parliament of Sor Trondelag, Norway voted to overturn its boycott of Israeli goods.

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New York, NY, December 20, 2005 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today strongly condemned the decision by the regional parliament of Sor-Trondelag, Norway to launch an official boycott of products made in Israel.  A majority of the regional parliament voted December 17 to approve a resolution to boycott the purchase or sale of all Israeli products within the province.

"This decision does nothing to promote Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation, but only serves to exacerbate tensions and ill-will," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.  "It is shocking and ironic that this one-sided boycott effort comes at a time when Israel is making a series of dramatic steps toward peace, including the recent withdrawal from Gaza."

In a letter to Knut Vollebaek, the Norwegian Ambassador to the U.S., the League expressed concern that the regional parliament had taken such a biased stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and noted that boycotts against Israel are predicated on odious comparisons to apartheid-era South Africa.

"It is our sincere hope that the Norwegian government will condemn this unjust decision and take necessary measures to secure its reversal," the letter stated.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.