Israeli proxy group slams Foreign Affairs Minister Browne

A LOCAL non-governmental organisation and lobby group to promote Israel’s foreign interests in TT has scorned Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Dr Amery Browne’s criticisms of Israel at the recent UN General Assembly. The group said Browne gave a “one-sided narrative.”

Nicholas Jagdeo, executive director and founder of Understanding Israel Foundation, wrote and issued a press release two days after Browne’s remarks in New York on September 28.

Jagdeo suggested Browne’s comments were delivered “in pursuit of temporary political gains disguised as moral positions, which some governments around the world tend to do during election cycles.”

Browne tackled a range of issues during his half-hour-long address, including the political and social turmoil in Haiti, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Israel state-sanctioned onslaught of Palestinian civilians and aid workers.

While Browne acknowledged Israel’s right to defend itself in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks by Hamas last year, he was particularly critical of its military response, which has left upward of 40,000 people dead in Palestine, including thousands of women and children, and dozens of aid workers and journalists.

Browne said, “Only someone absolutely bereft of humanity would think that it is lawful and just and even godly to respond to atrocities committed on one awful day of terror by, in turn, committing atrocities after atrocities.

“How else are we to describe the killing of over 200 UN staff members – the highest death toll in UN history – and the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians including women and children?”

The foundation responded that it was “deeply concerned” by Browne’s comments.

“His remarks, which criticised Israel’s right to defend itself, reflect a one-sided narrative that fails to acknowledge the very real and constant security threats the sovereign nation of Israel faces from rogue, terrorist organisations such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.”

The foundation said it was important to recognise that a “responsible government, like Israel’s, must ensure the safety and security of its citizens not only today but for future generations. “Israel’s approach to security is therefore shaped by the need to defend against ongoing threats that could destabilise the region and harm its people. It is a government’s duty to plan beyond the present, protecting the future while addressing immediate dangers.”

Jagdeo said TT’s pro-Israel community, “along with other concerned groups, has noticed this shift towards aligning with extremist elements that support terrorist organisations and the main state sponsor of terrorism, Iran.

“This is an alarming trend that undermines the values of long-term security, co-operation, and peace that should guide foreign policy.”

He called for the government to “reconsider its stance on Israel,” on behalf of the foundation.

The group threatened legal action against the government in May, shortly after TT recognised the state of Palestine.

The group said it had given its legal team instructions to address the matter directly with the Office of the Prime Minister, claiming the “action bypasses the established framework of the Oslo Accords, thereby disrupting the peace process and deviating from the informed approaches of nations deeply engaged in the region…”

It said it “strongly opposed” the government’s action and called for a retraction of the recognition given to Palestine “until the agreed-upon conditions for statehood are established in international law."

Browne stressed that TT has long supported a two-state solution to end the decades-long conflict.