Kåre Gudbrand Kristiansen (March 11, 1920 – December 3, 2005) was a
NorwegianNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
politicianA politician or political leader is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest,...
active in the
Christian People's PartyThe Christian Democratic Party , is a Christian Democratic Norwegian political party founded in 1933. The Norwegian name literally translates to Christian People's Party. The name may also be translated as "The People's Christian Party", thus not excluding non-Christian voters.The party leader is...
. Noted as a conservative within his own party, he was known to take controversial positions at odds with the prevailing consensus.
Kristiansen was born in Bergen, the son of a lay preacher. Both his parents were active in the
Salvation ArmyThe Salvation Army, an international movement, describes itself as an armed evangelical movement part of the Christian Church. It has a quasi-military structure and was founded in 1865 in the United Kingdom as the East London Christian Liberation Mission by William and Catherine Booth. It is well...
. He started his professional life as a telegraph operator in the
Norwegian railroad systemNorges Statsbaner, commonly known as NSB or the Norwegian State Railways, is a Norwegian transport company. Owned by the Government of Norway, NSB is the largest passenger railway company and, through the subsidiary Nettbuss, bus company in Norway. Its former cargo division has been spun off in...
, where he rose through the ranks.
Kåre Gudbrand Kristiansen (March 11, 1920 – December 3, 2005) was a
NorwegianNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
politicianA politician or political leader is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest,...
active in the
Christian People's PartyThe Christian Democratic Party , is a Christian Democratic Norwegian political party founded in 1933. The Norwegian name literally translates to Christian People's Party. The name may also be translated as "The People's Christian Party", thus not excluding non-Christian voters.The party leader is...
. Noted as a conservative within his own party, he was known to take controversial positions at odds with the prevailing consensus.
Kristiansen was born in Bergen, the son of a lay preacher. Both his parents were active in the
Salvation ArmyThe Salvation Army, an international movement, describes itself as an armed evangelical movement part of the Christian Church. It has a quasi-military structure and was founded in 1865 in the United Kingdom as the East London Christian Liberation Mission by William and Catherine Booth. It is well...
. He started his professional life as a telegraph operator in the
Norwegian railroad systemNorges Statsbaner, commonly known as NSB or the Norwegian State Railways, is a Norwegian transport company. Owned by the Government of Norway, NSB is the largest passenger railway company and, through the subsidiary Nettbuss, bus company in Norway. Its former cargo division has been spun off in...
, where he rose through the ranks. A devout Christian all his life, he became politically active in his home community of
NesoddenNesodden is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Follo. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Nesoddtangen. The parish of Næsodden was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
in 1951. He was appointed State Secretary in the Ministry of Social Affairs in 1965 and served in this capacity until 1968. He was elected to
StortingThe Parliament of Norway is located in the capital city Oslo. It sits in the Parliament of Norway Building which was completed in 1866 and was designed by the Swedish architect Emil Victor Langlet.- History :...
, first as a deputy member in 1969 and as a full member from 1973 to 1977 and 1981 to 1989. He was chairman in the parliamentary foreign affairs committee from 1981 to 1983 and
Minister of Petroleum and EnergyThe Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy is the head of the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy.- Councillor of State and Chief of the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy 1978 – 1992 :...
from 1983 to 1986.
He served as chairman for the Christian People's Party from 1975 to 1977 and 1979 to 1983. As a result of an internal dispute about how to cooperate with the
Conservative PartyThe Conservative Party is a Norwegian political party. Founded in 1884, it is Norway's second oldest party. The current leader is Erna Solberg.-History and political platform:...
, he resigned from the chair of his party and instead became parliamentary leader.
He stepped down from national politics in 1989 in protest against what he perceived as a change in course in the party's policy, but he remained politically active all his life, among other things by rejoining the
municipal councilMunicipal council is the highest governing body of the municipality in Norway. The municipal council sets the scope of municipal activity, takes major decisions, and delegates responsibility. The council is led by a mayor and is divided into an executive board and a number of committees, each...
of Nesodden, where he had started his political career.
Kristiansen stood his ground on a number of political issues, and his prominence within his party and in politics in general varied accordingly. He was a proponent of Norwegian membership in the
European UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 Member States, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community...
, advocated strong collaborative efforts with the
Conservative PartyThe Conservative Party is a Norwegian political party. Founded in 1884, it is Norway's second oldest party. The current leader is Erna Solberg.-History and political platform:...
and even the Norwegian
Progress PartyThe Progress Party , founded as "Anders Lange’s Party for a Strong Reduction in Taxes, Duties and Public Intervention", is a Norwegian right-wing political party...
. He was an ardent supporter of the State of Israel, and in 1994 he resigned from the
Norwegian Nobel CommitteeThe Norwegian Nobel Committee awards the Nobel Peace Prize each year. Its five members are appointed by the Norwegian Parliament and roughly represent the political makeup of that body.-History:...
in protest over the award of the prize to
Yasser ArafatMohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority, and leader of the Fatah political...
, whom he labeled "world's most prominent terrorist". He opposed
Israel's unilateral disengagement planIsrael's unilateral disengagement plan , also known as the "Disengagement plan", "Gaza expulsion plan", and "Hitnatkut") was a proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, adopted by the government on June 6, 2004 and enacted in August 2005, to evict...
from the
Gaza stripThe Gaza Strip lies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Egypt on the south-west and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometers wide, with a total area of . The area is recognized internationally as part of the Palestinian territories...
, to the point of refusing an invitation to join in an event that also featured moderate Israeli politician and chief rabbi of Norway,
Michael MelchiorRabbi Michael Melchior is a Danish-Norwegian rabbi, an Israeli politician and leader of the left-wing religious party Meimad, which he represented in the Knesset.-Background:...
.