His Majesty the King received the President of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, in an audience and official lunch at the Royal Palace on Wednesday. Queen Sonja and the Crown Prince were also present. Earlier in the day, Abbas visited the Norwegian Parliament, where he met Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap) and Parliamentary President Masud Gharahkhani (Ap). Norway contributed NOK 2.1 billion in aid to Palestine in 2025, and an estimated NOK 20 billion in recent decades.
There seemed to be great enthusiasm both at the Royal Palace and in the Labour government when President Mahmoud Abbas visited Norway on Wednesday 11 February. The palace has posted pictures showing a cheerful meeting between King Harald, Queen Sonja and Mahmoud Abbas. The latter is not the president of all of Palestine, which is still not a defined state, but is a politician for the Fatah party (PLO). He has been the president of the Palestinian Authority since 2005, and since then there has been no election for a new president, even though he was elected for only four years. That doesn’t stop the Royal Palace in Norway from being delighted with the visit, and they write on their website:
His Majesty the King today received the President of Palestine, His Excellency Mahmoud Abbas, in audience, followed by an official lunch at the Royal Palace. Her Majesty the Queen and the revered Crown Prince were also in attendance.
The palace also writes that this is the first time President Abbas has visited since Norway recognised the state of Palestine. That was not so long ago, in May 2024, which some considered to reward the Palestinians as it was then only seven months since the terrorist attack against the Jews and Israel on 7 October 2023.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre warmly greeted the Palestinian President, Mamoud Abbas, while Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide looked on. Photo: NRK Dagsrevyen 11 February 2026.
Norway contributed NOK 2.1 million in 2025
The government is also excited to receive a visit from President Abbas.
<“I am happy to welcome the President of Palestine to Norway. At the same time, I am deeply concerned about developments in Palestine. As we meet here, the situation for the Palestinians is dramatic,” says Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, according to the government website.
Furthermore, they write that Norway has been one of Palestine’s strongest supporters for decades, maintaining close contact with Palestinian authorities, helping to build strong Palestinian institutions and providing extensive humanitarian aid. In 2025, Norway contributed NOK 2.1 billion in aid to Palestine, according to the government.
After NOK 20 billion in aid, the dictator visits Norway for more
Palestinian President in Parliament
The Norwegian Parliament has posted photos and excitement from the Palestinian visit on Facebook. There they write:
«Today the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited the Parliament. 🇵🇸 Here he had a meeting with Parliamentary President Masud Gharahkhani.”Norway is one of Palestine’s strongest supporters. The Palestinians have lived under terrible conditions in recent years, and the meeting with Abbas provided an opportunity to get a first-hand update on the situation in both Gaza and the West Bank. It is important that the Palestinians are actively included in the work towards a lasting peace solution,” says Masud Gharahkhani, President of the Norwegian Parliament.
From President Mamoud Abbas’ visit to the Norwegian Parliament on 11 February 2026. We don’t know what he’s writing, but Parliamentary President Masud Gharahkhani (Ap) and the Palestinian ambassador to Norway, Marie Antoinette K. H. Sedin, are paying close attention. So are the Norwegian men of honour on the wall behind. We don’t know who the fourth man is. Photo: Parliament on Facebook.
The President of the Norwegian Parliament, Masud Gharahkhani, appears in all five photos, which the Parliament has posted on its Facebook page. Palestinian ambassador to Norway also participated.
Much criticism in the comment fields
The comment fields for the Royal Family and the Storting on Facebook are not entirely enthusiastic. In fact, the criticism is sometimes quite intense.
«What a shame this picture is. But nevertheless a good picture of our Norwegian society right now,” writes podcaster Henrik Beckheim, who is Jewish himself.
And shame is an expression many people use. Even Geir, who gets about 70 Likes when he writes:
«The Royal Family: Mahmoud Abbas is a thoroughly corrupt man with a past from the terrorist organisation PLO. Together with the Islamist terrorist regime of Hamas in Gaza, Abbas is a major contributor to jihadist terror against Jews in Israel, as well as poverty, death and depravity in the West Bank and Gaza. The fact that this shameless person is welcomed on the red carpet by the AP-led Støre government shows that Norway is saddled with the most anti-Semitic government since Quisling ruled on behalf of Nazi Germany during World War II. This is just incredibly sad.
About as many Likes for Torfinn:
The king refused to offer his condolences to Israel after the attack that killed several hundred young people. But here there was great goodwill. It says a lot about the decay that Norway is in at the moment. Both the royal family and the government.
Also Anita, who writes:
«The state of Palestine is not a functioning state, it is a small piece of land ruled by a terrorist group. The poor people who live there are oppressed and brought up with violence and hatred.
While Arve-Gunnar has the opposite view, and gets 50 Likes:
«This whole site is unfortunately taken over by Israel web trolls – all wise answers are systematically deleted and we are systematically bombarded by inappropriate, lying, mafia-like and religious – yes the holy Israeli mafia…..and considering, yes and seriously the 75000 killed children, women…..which you overlook. GROtesque.
Criticism also on the Storting’s side
«Shame» is also a recurring theme among many who have commented on the Storting’s sharing of the visit on Facebook. Sindre has received 252 Likes so far, and writes:
«What a shame. Abbas is now in his 21st year as “President”, a position that will last for 4 years. He lives in a formal palace, and for the past 20 years has been one of Norway’s largest recipients of billions in aid. What these have been used for includes tunnels and other military infrastructure, school books that demonise Jews, etc.
After the last election victory, you welcomed the Taliban, and now Abbas. I sense a pattern of keeping Islamist dictators warm.
While Usman writes:
Sad that after two years of live genocide that Israeli activists are still shameless enough to show face and opinions.
Maybe the government will soon be able to spend a tiny billion on “dialogue” in Norway too, before we get Middle East conditions here too? As far as we know, the royal couple have never visited Israel since its establishment in 1948, but otherwise have a long list of state visits here and there.