Paul O’Brien (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images for Jo Cox memorial) Amnesty International USA Executive Director Paul O’Brien said that he regretted “representing the views of the Jewish people” after previously saying that Israel “shouldn’t exist as a Jewish state.”
Jewish Insider (JI) reported that O’Brien expressed his regret in a letter to House Democrats, who had written to Amnesty on March 15 saying they were concerned over O’Brien’s remarks. O’Brien had said at a March 9 event at the Women’s National Democratic club that his “gut tells me that what Jewish people in this country want is to know that there’s a sanctuary that is a safe and sustainable place that the Jews, the Jewish people can call home” and that Amnesty is “opposed to the idea … that Israel should be preserved as a state for the Jewish people.”
In his March 25 reply to House Democrats, O’Brien wrote: “During the course of the event, and at a number of times during the presentation, I stated that Amnesty takes no position on the legitimacy or existence of any state, including Israel. We have been engaging with the government of Israel for decades to uphold its human rights obligations and will continue to do so. In my remarks to the journalist after the event, I was explaining our concerns about Israel’s 2018 Nation State Law, which explicitly denies the right of self-determination.” He acknowledged that what he “should have said is that my understanding from having visited Israel often and listened to many Jewish American and Israeli human rights activists is that I share a commitment to human rights and social justice for all with Jewish Americans and Israelis.” O’Brien went on to defend Amnesty’s February report accusing Israel of apartheid.
Agnes Callamard, Amnesty’s Secretary-General, wrote in a separate reply to House Democrats that his organization “recognises the right of Jewish people to self-determination” but doesn’t “take a position on the international political or legal arrangements that might be adopted to implement this right.” “We have reaffirmed, including in the context of the launch of our report on Apartheid, that there is nothing under international law to prevent the state of Israel identifying itself as Jewish, as long as the government does not discriminate between its citizens on the grounds of religion or race,” he added.
Some people were not impressed by O’Brien’s March 25 reply.
“Apology not accepted, @dpaulobrien,” StandWithUs Israel Executive Director Michael Dickson tweeted. “The mask slipped and your true face was shown. The actions and defamations by you and @AgnesCallamard will result in Jews being less safe and will not help the cause of peace one bit. That will remain your and the discredited @amnesty’s legacy.”
Apology not accepted, @dpaulobrien. The mask slipped and your true face was shown. The actions and defamations by you and @AgnesCallamard will result in Jews being less safe and will not help the cause of peace one bit. That will remain your and the discredited @amnesty’s legacy. pic.twitter.com/SqRgadIltB
— Michael Dickson (@michaeldickson) April 1, 2022
Human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky, who heads the International Legal Forum, also tweeted that O’Brien essentially said, “I’m sorry if my Jew hatred, arrogance and calls for destruction of the Jewish state hurt your feelings.”
Shorter @dpaulobrien @amnestyusa: I'm sorry if my Jew hatred, arrogance and calls for destruction of the Jewish state hurt your feelings.https://t.co/dYb20uUKSU
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) April 1, 2022
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.