Amnesty U.S. Head Apologizes for Speaking on Behalf of Jews After Saying Jewish State Shouldn’t Exist

Amnesty International U.S. Director Paul O’Brien said he regretted “representing the views of the Jewish people” after previously saying his organization is opposed to Israel continuing to exist as a Jewish state.

According to Jewish Insider, O’Brien apologized in a letter to Jewish House Democrats, after they expressed concern over O’Brien’s remarks in a rare show of unanimity.

O’Brien was cited by the Jewish Insider as saying at a luncheon with the Women’s National Democratic Club in Washington 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 Amnesty is “opposed to the idea … that Israel should be preserved as a state for the Jewish people.”

In an unusual move, all 25 Jewish House Democrats on Monday signed a statement denouncing O’Brien’s comments.

“As Jewish Members of the House of Representatives, we represent diverse views on a number of issues relating to Israel. However, we are in full agreement that Mr. [Paul] O’Brien’s patronizing attempt to speak on behalf of the American Jewish community is alarming and deeply offensive,” the statement said.

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.”

“I 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,” the human rights watchdog’s U.S. director said.

However, O’Brien continued by defending Amnesty’s February report accusing Israel of apartheid, an outrageous report since discredited multiple times, even by Amnesty’s own Israel director who described it as a “punch in the gut.”

Agnes Callamard, Amnesty’s secretary-general, wrote in a separate reply to House Democrats that Amnesty “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,” she said.

Pro-Israel advocates took to Twitter to criticize O’Brien over the apology.

“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.”

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.”