Israel calls on Barbados to support right to defend against Hamas

Israel’s Ambassador to Barbados, Itai Bardov, has called on the government to demonstrate leadership by backing Jerusalem’s war against Hamas.

Speaking exclusively with Barbados TODAY from his Panama base, the non-resident envoy raised concerns about Bridgetown’s position, emphasising the need for support amid the ongoing conflict with the militant group that was sparked by its attack on Israelis in border districts last October 7. About 1 200 Israelis were killed in the worst attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust during the Second World War. A further 250 men, women and children were taken hostage.

But the ensuing retaliation has led to the deaths of 43 000 Palestinians, about half of whom were women and children. Journalists, aid workers and UN peacekeepers have been attacked by Israeli armed forces in a widening conflict involving missile skirmishes with Iran, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis. Despite growing international pressure for a ceasefire and the return of hostages, the war has intensified, further threatening long-term stability in the region.

Bardov expressed disappointment with Barbados and other CARICOM nations, suggesting their efforts to restore peace in the Middle East have been misdirected.

“I think the fact they have chosen to put all the pressure… on Israel… is not going to reach the effect that we all want, which is a cessation of the conflict, and returning back to normalcy,” Ambassador Bardov said.

He urged Barbados and its regional partners to shift focus and apply pressure on Iran and its proxies, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, which he claims are the real sources of hostility. “If you really, really feel that you want to bring an end to these hostilities and restore peace, pressuring Israel will not be the right path,” Bardov said. “You have to pressure Iran, you have to pressure Iran’s proxies to stop their attacks and their hostilities, and not go the populous way.”

While expressing respect for the administration, Bardov questioned Bridgetown’s position on Israel’s right to self-defence. He acknowledged Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s condemnation of Hamas following the outbreak of war but criticised what he saw as a contradictory stance. “You can’t after that say ‘but…’ because if you say ‘but’ Israel has a right to defend itself until it actually executes that right, and then you go against it,” he contended.

Bardov also warned that such positions risk emboldening terrorist organisations. “What you are doing is giving what’s called a silver bullet for the terrorist organisations. All you have to do is attack another nation and then go and hide yourself among civilians and use them as human shields and we are not allowed to react… create collateral damage,” he argued.

The ambassador expressed deep concern about the ongoing conflict, particularly the kidnapping of Israeli citizens, and called for unified efforts to end the bloodshed and restore peace. “

I really hope that we can resolve this conflict in a way that will bring back the 101 hostages who were kidnapped from their homes and that will ensure security [not only] for the people of Israel, but also for the people of Gaza and Lebanon,” he said.

Barbados formally recognised Palestine earlier this year, a decision Minister of Foreign Kerrie Symmonds defended by stating: “How can we say we want a two-state solution if we do not recognise Palestine as a state?”