Critics are slamming Norway over new legislation that they say singles out Jews. The proposed law could send individuals to prison for up to three years for knowingly conducting certain forms of business with Israeli communities in the West Bank.

The proposal, introduced by Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, would prohibit the importation of goods originating in Israeli communities in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the exportation of goods to those communities. It would also restrict certain real estate transactions, construction and engineering services and investments in businesses headquartered and operating there.

Intentional violations could result in fines, imprisonment for up to three years or both, while negligent violations could carry fines, imprisonment for up to six months or both, according to Section7 of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ official consultation document.

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The measure remains under public consultation, with responses due Sept. 19, and has not yet been enacted.

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, condemned the proposal in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“Norway’s proposal to criminalize trade with Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria is the latest expression of their obsessive and openly hostile policy toward Israel. Instead of contributing to peace or regional stability, Norway has chosen political grandstanding, selective outrage and punitive measures against Israel. This approach damages bilateral relations, encourages rejectionism, and exposes just how detached Norwegian policy has become from the realities of the Middle East.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry’s Northern Europe Department also referred Fox News Digital to a statement it posted on X condemning the proposal.

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“Norway’s legislative proposal to criminalize trade with Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria is the latest example of the Norwegian foreign minister’s obsessive anti-Israel activism on the global stage. Norway has repeatedly chosen to sacrifice its bilateral relationship with Israel in favor of one-sided rhetoric and hostile actions that serve domestic interests, undermine efforts to reach peaceful solutions, and are completely detached from the reality in the Middle East.”

In response to a request for comment from Fox News Digital, Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs referred the outlet to its June 19 press release announcing the proposed legislation. The release states that Israeli settlements violate international law and undermine prospects for a two-state solution in which Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and freedom.

“By proposing legally binding prohibitions, the government makes it clear that Norwegian citizens and Norwegian companies must not profit from or support activities that help sustain Israel’s unlawful settlement activity in Palestine,” Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in the release.

Eide also said the settlements contribute to “displacement, extreme violence and a situation that makes a peaceful solution impossible.”

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The ministry cited United Nations Security Council findings and International Court of Justice advisory opinions supporting its position on the settlements’ illegality. It said the proposed restrictions would cover imports and exports, property purchases, certain property-related services and acquisitions of businesses with headquarters and production in the settlements, while safeguarding legitimate Palestinian activities and humanitarian assistance.

The proposed legislation would exempt humanitarian activities, as well as transactions the government determines have “sufficient Palestinian ties” and do not contribute to the construction, expansion or maintenance of Israeli communities.

Dag Juliussen, national director of the Norwegian branch of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, said that the exemption could permit business with Palestinian residents while criminalizing comparable transactions involving Jewish residents in the same territory.

“The bill is based on a fundamentally misguided understanding of the Middle East conflict, which in turn rests on a rewriting of history,” Juliussen said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “In addition, such a law would effectively serve as a reward for terrorism and, at its core, is deeply racist toward Jews.”

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The consultation document does not characterize the proposal as targeting Jews. Instead, it says the measure is intended to prevent commercial activity that helps maintain Israeli communities beyond the pre-1967 lines, while shielding qualifying Palestinian commerce and humanitarian assistance.

Under the proposal, exemptions would be evaluated according to the people involved who benefit from the transaction and whether the activity contributes to the construction, expansion or maintenance of an Israeli community.

Juliussen said purchasing agricultural products from Muslim, Christian, Arab or Bedouin residents could be permitted, while purchasing similar products from Jewish residents could become a criminal offense. He argued that the determining factor would effectively be the identity of the seller.

Norway formally recognized a Palestinian state in 2024 and has become one of Israel’s strongest European critics since the Hamas-led terrorist attacks of Oct. 7, 2023.

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Juliussen warned that the proposed legislation would not bring Israelis and Palestinians closer to peace but could instead deepen divisions and encourage extremist forces in the region.

Prosecutors said that the group worked on behalf of Russian intelligence services to carry out attacks and murders around the world.

Five people have been charged over alleged Russian intelligence-linked plots involving surveillance, recruitment and planned killings, according to an indictment unsealed by the United States Department of Justice.

Prosecutors said on Tuesday that the group worked on behalf of Russian intelligence services to carry out attacks and murders internationally, including within the US, and that all five remain at large.

The defendants were identified as Russian national Yuri Khrameev, 63, his son Kirill Khrameev, 27, Cubans Oemis Romagoza Durruthy and Yaidel Delgado Suarez, both 35, and 22-year-old Venezuelan Angel Eduardo Castro.

All five were charged with conspiring to finance terrorism, while Khrameev, Suarez and Castro face additional charges of conspiring to commit murder for hire.

At a news conference, Attorney General Todd Blanche said the plots included attempts to kill a Russian dissident believed to be living in the Washington, DC area.

Justice Department officials said the network had recruited several people in the US to carry out surveillance on Russian dissidents, targeting individuals both domestically and in Lithuania.

In one instance, a recruit was reportedly promised $40,000 to make a US-based target “disappear”. A separate recruit was allegedly offered $25,000 the previous year to kill someone in Lithuania.

Russia’s embassy in the US has not commented on the case. Moscow has consistently rejected accusations that it has orchestrated assassination operations on foreign soil, including in the US.

“The Gentlemen” Season 2 has seen a 48% jump in viewership in its second week of release on Netflix.

The Guy Ritchie show, which features Theo James and Kaya Scodelario as the managers of a blossoming criminal empire, has seen its second season jump to the top of the streamer’s English language global TV chart with 9.9 million views in the week from Sept. 7 to 15.

Season 2 premiered on Sept. 3, racking up 6.7 million views in three days and putting it at number 3 on the previous week’s chart.

While the figures still don’t quite match those of Season 1, which garnered 12.2 million views in 3 days when it launched in March 2024, it suggests that viewers are continuing to return to the show.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the release of the second season has also prompted Season 1 to climb the charts again as audiences either re-watch or watch the show for the first time before potentially diving into the second season. Despite being released two and a half years ago, Season 1 has hit number 3 on the same chart, racking up over 8 million views between Sept. 7 to 15.

Taking both seasons together, it means almost 18 million people have been watching “The Gentlemen” over the past week. It will be interesting to see how many of the current Season 1 audience move to Season 2 in the coming weeks.

Variety‘s reviewer Aramide Tinubu called the show’s latest outing “Engaging, devastating and thoroughly entertaining” adding: “It’s clear that with its second season, ‘The Gentlemen’ has upped the ante and fully hit its stride.”

Earlier this year Bloomberg reported that Netflix experiences a notable decline in viewership in second seasons of its original shows, although Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos played down the significance of the report during a subsequent earnings call. “Our second seasons are performing well within our bands of expectation. We very often we see drop off from Season 1 to Season 2. It’s very common in the industry, but it’s even more so with us because we launch our shows so big.”

He added: “Our Season 2 fall-off is actually slightly improved this year relative to last year, so no changes in release strategies.”

Regardless, Netflix has shown “The Gentlemen” is a priority for them, renewing the show for a third season before the second one had launched and supporting Season 2 with a swanky premiere and afterparty at the historic Guildhall venue in east London. All of which means fans of the show can rest assured there’s plenty more glitz and gore to come from the Guy Ritchie extravaganza.