Oslo Accord negotiator’s Epstein links raise questions about integrity of Middle East peace process: Report

By Asiye Latife Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) - Newly uncovered documents linking Terje Rod-Larsen, the Norwegian diplomat who was a key architect of the 1993 Oslo Accords, to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and illicit financial dealings are raising questions about the integrity of the Middle East peace process, a report said Thursday.

Rod-Larsen, a central figure in the Middle East peace process in the 1990s, is implicated in newly released US Justice Department files and Norwegian media reports “that expose a relationship involving illicit loans, visa fraud for sex-trafficked women, and a beneficiary clause in Epstein’s will worth millions of dollars,” said Al Jazeera.

The revelations have rocked the diplomatic community, prompting Mona Juul, Rod-Larsen’s wife and fellow Oslo negotiator, to resign as Norway’s ambassador to Jordan and Iraq, with her security clearance revoked.

“Palestinian leaders are now questioning whether Oslo’s foundational agreements of the two-state solution were brokered by a mediator vulnerable to elite blackmail and foreign intelligence pressure,” the report said.

Norwegian broadcaster NRK and newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN) reported that Rod-Larsen used his role as president of the International Peace Institute (IPI) in New York to launder the reputations of Epstein’s associates, said Al Jazeera.

The files show that Rod-Larsen submitted official recommendation letters to US authorities, helping young Russian women linked to Epstein obtain visas by falsely claiming they had “extraordinary abilities” for research positions, it said.

In reality, these women were often models with no academic credentials, allegedly trafficked and abused by Epstein.

“One victim told NRK she believed Epstein sent her to Rod-Larsen’s institute ‘to manipulate’ her, while another described how the diplomat facilitated her visa after a direct request from Epstein’s assistant,” the report said.

The relationship appeared overtly transactional. Documents revealed that Epstein lent Rod-Larsen $130,000 in 2013, and his will reportedly left $5 million to each of Rod-Larsen’s two children, totaling $10 million.

-Questions raised over Oslo agreements

The scandal casts a troubling light on Rod-Larsen’s Oslo agreements, fueling Palestinian perceptions that the so-called “peace process” was manipulated from the start.

Mustafa Barghouti, general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative, told Al Jazeera that he was “not surprised at all” by the corruption claims.

Barghouti claimed that Oslo was a “trap” and said he has no doubt that Rod-Larsen was influenced by Israel, suggesting Epstein’s millions may have served Israeli interests over Palestinian ones.

The scandal has also renewed demands in Norway to release Rod-Larsen’s “private archive” on the 1993 secret Oslo negotiations.

Media reports showed key documents from January-September 1993 are missing from Norway’s Foreign Ministry archive, raising concerns that evidence of blackmail or personal leverage in the secret Oslo talks may be concealed.

Norwegian authorities, including the economic crime unit Okokrim, have launched an investigation, putting the reputation of the diplomat who once shook hands on the White House lawn under intense scrutiny and prompting renewed questions about the Oslo-led Middle East peace process, the report added.