Johan Jørgen Holst

Johan Jørgen Holst

Johan Jørgen Holst (29 November 1937 - 13 January 1994) was a Norwegian politician representing Labour, best known for his involvement with the Oslo Accords.

Holst was Minister of Defence from 1987 to 1989 and from 1991 to April 1993. He then became Minister of Foreign Affairs, a position he held to his death. During his time in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs he was heavily involved in the process that led to the Oslo Accords. He suffered a minor stroke in December 1993 and was admitted to a hospital. He never fully recovered and died a month later. His wife Marianne Heiberg later said that he had worked himself to death with the peace process.

In his memory, the city of Gaza created the Holst Park, an activity center for children of Gaza from 6 to 16. Holst was educated at Oslo Cathedral School, where he completed his examen artium in 1956, and at Columbia College of Columbia University, where he obtained his A.B. in 1960, and which honored him with its John Jay Award for Distinguished Professional Achievement shortly after his death—the first time the prize had been given posthumously. Through his marriage Mr. Holst was the uncle of Jens Stoltenberg, the prime minister of Norway throughout central parts of the 2000s. Friends of Israel in the Norwegian Labour Movement (Norwegian: Venner av Israel i Norsk Arbeiderbevegelse), planted a forest to his memory in Israel.

External links

• Civilian-Based Defense in a New Era, a short monograph by Holst

Political offices
Preceded by Rolf Presthus	Minister of Defence 1986–1989	Succeeded by Per Ditlev-Simonsen
Preceded by Per Ditlev-Simonsen	Minister of Defence 1990–1993	Succeeded by Jørgen Kosmo
Academic offices
Preceded by John Sanness	Director of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs 1981–1986	Succeeded by Kjell Skjelsbæk
Preceded by Kjell Skjelsbæk	Director of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs 1989–1990	Succeeded by Olav Fagelund Knudsen