A NORWEGIAN oil giant, the owner of the Rosebank field in Shetland, is being sued over its connections to an Israeli fuel conglomerate linked to human rights violations in Palestine.
Greenpeace Norway filed a legal complaint on December 12 against the Norwegian oil company Equinor over its partnership with Ithaca Energy, belonging to the Delek Group, an Israeli fuel conglomerate.
Equinor and Ithaca Energy own the Rosebank oil field, planned to be developed 80 miles off the coast of the Shetland Islands.
Despite the risks linked to this business partnership, Equinor is working with Ithaca to advance Rosebank through the Scottish courts, where a case against its 2023 approval is currently underway.
Greenpeace Norway has argued that Equinor breached the 2022 Norwegian Transparency Act.
This act requires Norwegian companies to make sure their business practices and partnerships respect human rights and follow international rules.
Greenpeace also noted that Equinor is predominantly owned by the Norwegian state, and its connections to Delek contradict the country's position on Palestine.
Greenpeace legal complaint follows efforts by campaigners such as Uplift and politicians all over the country for Equinor to cut any ties with Ithaca and its owner Delek.
Greenpeace and Uplift have highlighted the “hypocrisy” of the Norwegian government in allowing the Rosebank project to go ahead.
Tessa Khan, the executive director of Uplift, said that Norway was one “of the first nations to recognise the Palestinian state, and has warned Norwegian companies that they must not contribute to Israel’s illegal occupation”.
“So why is Equinor – which is majority owned by the Norwegian government – comfortable with developing a project that will send hundreds of millions to a company flagged by the UN for human rights concerns in the region,” Khan added.
Frode Pleym, the head of Greenpeace Norway, said: “While the Norwegian government is asking companies to end partnerships that contribute to the illegal settlements in Palestine, Equinor is prepared to direct millions to a company enabling and profiting from the war in Gaza. This has to be stopped.
“It’s the Norwegian government’s job to hold Equinor accountable and in line with Norwegian values. We are filing this complaint because they have failed to do this.”
