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OSLO, Norway (AP) – A Norwegian diplomat with a history of involvement in Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations during the 1990s has stepped down amid scrutiny over her connections with Jeffrey Epstein. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Mona Juul, who most recently served as the ambassador to Jordan, tendered her resignation.
Juul’s resignation was announced by the ministry on Sunday evening, following her suspension from her ambassadorial role in Jordan. This action came in the wake of revelations that Epstein had bequeathed $10 million to the children of Juul and her husband, Terje Rød-Larsen, in a will composed shortly before Epstein’s suicide in a New York prison in 2019.
Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide described Juul’s resignation as a “correct and necessary” measure. He criticized her interactions with Epstein, stating they represented a “serious lapse in judgment,” and emphasized that such actions compromised the trust required for her diplomatic role.
The ministry is continuing its investigation into Juul’s interactions with Epstein and her level of awareness of his activities. Eide noted that Juul would remain in dialogue with the ministry to resolve the issue thoroughly.
Furthermore, the ministry has initiated a review of its financial support and connections with the International Peace Institute, a New York-based organization that was led by Rød-Larsen during the time in question. Eide remarked that Rød-Larsen had also demonstrated poor judgment in his dealings with Epstein.
Rød-Larsen and Juul were among those involved in facilitating the landmark Oslo Accords aimed at resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the 1990s.
Juul acknowledged in a statement to Norwegian news agency NTB last week that it had been “imprecise” to describe her contact with Epstein as minimal, but said that the contact originated in her husband’s relationship with Epstein and she had no independent social or professional relationship with him.
She wrote that her contact with Epstein had been sporadic and private, not part of her official duties, but acknowledged that she should have been much more careful.
The latest batch of Epstein files has cast an unflattering spotlight on several prominent Norwegian figures. Crown Princess Mette-Marit on Friday issued an apology “to all of you whom I have disappointed” after documents offered more details of her relationship with Epstein.
The country’s economic crimes unit has opened a corruption investigation into former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland – who also once headed the committee that hands out the Nobel Peace Prize – over his ties with Epstein. His lawyer said Jagland would cooperate.