Donald Trump’s administration said it is “very troubled” by the Norway oil fund’s sale of a stake in construction equipment maker Caterpillar because of its activities in Israel and has protested directly to the government in Oslo.
The world’s largest sovereign wealth fund last week revealed it had sold out of Caterpillar after its independent ethics adviser alleged its bulldozers were being used to “commit extensive and systematic violations of international humanitarian law” by destroying Palestinian properties.
But the US comments intensify the diplomatic pressure on Norway and its $2tn sovereign wealth fund as the Nordic country prepares for parliamentary elections next week.