Political Views
Simonsen is a staunch supporter of Israel and its right to defend itself against terrorism, citing that he as a teen read much about the Second World War and Holocaust, which coincidented with the breakout of the Six-Day War. He however assert that he has friends both on the Israeli and Palestinian side of the conflict. In 2003, he congratulated Israel for the assassination of Ahmed Yassin and Russia for the liquidation of Aslan Maskhadov. Before the 2009 election, he said that his most important issues was to "fight for our basic democratic, liberal and human society values against external pressure, mainly from Islamic societies".
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