Member of Parliament for St. Anne's Adrian White speaks during a sitting of the House of Assembly on May 15, 2024. Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff
By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS
Tribune Staff Reporter
lmunnings@tribunemedia.net
ST ANNE’S MP Adrian White criticised the Davis administration’s approach to recognising Palestine as a sovereign state, saying a national discussion should have preceded its decision.
“I was blindsided when we simply issued a statement without ministerial communication on the recognition of Palestine as a state,” he said in the House of Assembly yesterday.
Mr White noted that some G-20 countries, including the United States of America, have not recognised Palestine.
“Our traditional allies, Madam Speaker, are countries that we haven’t aligned our position with, and I find that on such an important international issue, now it’s a national issue,” he said.
We’re attending the UN meetings and we’re making decisions on them, but the fact that it has an importance internationally doesn’t diminish the fact that it has importance nationally, and the people of this nation, Madam Speaker, should be informed I think on a more regular basis on why some of these international decisions are being made, why we are agreeing one way or the other.”
The Bahamas joined at least 141 other countries earlier this month to recognise Palestine and was the last CARICOM country to do so.
Global recognition of Palestine has grown since war broke out in Gaza after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
More than 35,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed since the hostilities began, including over 15,000 children and 10,000 women. The war has led to a humanitarian crisis, including the collapse of Palestine’s healthcare system.
It is unclear whether Mr White’s view reflects the official position of the Free National Movement. Former Foreign Affairs Minister Darren Henfield, reacting to the administration’s decision, told The Tribune earlier this month that the “government has probably taken a principled position on the view of statehood of Palestine, which governments are wont to do”.
Comments
IslandWarrior 6 months, 1 week ago
Adrian White's position as an opposition member and his support for the Zionist state could indeed influence his perspective on the recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state. As a member of the opposition, White may seek to differentiate his party's stance from that of the ruling government, potentially leading him to critique or oppose decisions made by the administration, such as recognizing Palestine.
Moreover, his support for the Zionist state suggests a particular ideological orientation or alignment with the policies and interests of Israel. This alignment may influence his perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and his views on recognising Palestine as a sovereign state.
Adrian White's motivations regarding his stance on the recognition of Palestine may indeed extend beyond concerns about transparency in decision-making. While the Bahamian government's position at the UN may be open and transparent, White's critique suggests a broader concern about aligning the Bahamas' foreign policy with that of key international players, such as the G-20 and the USA.
However, it would be beneficial for White and other policymakers to address and acknowledge humanitarian crises, such as the situation faced by Palestinians, as part of their broader engagement with international affairs. This can help ensure a more comprehensive and empathetic approach to foreign policy that considers both political considerations and humanitarian concerns.
Adrian White's remarks suggest a desire for alignment between the Bahamas' international positions and those of influential entities such as the G-20 and the United States. By expressing concern over the divergence between the Bahamas' stance on recognizing Palestine and that of certain G-20 countries, including the USA, White may be signalling a belief in the importance of adhering to prevailing international norms and alliances regardless of the sovereignty of the Bahamas as an independent state.
ExposedU2C 6 months, 1 week ago
You're ignorant of the facts, as is most likely our sleasy and slimy Freddy Boy Mitchell and corrupt Stumpy Davis. Sadly the ChiComs are now being allowed to dictate every aspect of our foreign policy in exchange for miring our nation in their debt trap.
Survey after survey going back many years has revealed that 70%+ of the Palestinian people strongly believe the State of Israel should not exist and that there should be only one Palestinian State. This explains why a large majority the Palestinian people are content to have terrorist agents of Iran serve as their elected government and why they are more than willing for their young school children to be indoctrinated with anti-Israeli sentiments and great hatred towards the State of Israel.
IslandWarrior 6 months, 1 week ago
I appreciate your response and am eager to engage in further discussion. However, I request that you elaborate on your statement, "You're ignorant of the facts." What specific facts are you referencing, and how do they pertain to our discussion? Furthermore, I am curious about your stance regarding the State of Israel. Why not oppose this colonial disease planted in the heart of the Christian Muslim world, or do you align with the Zionist ideology, which many criticize for disregarding the sanctity of human life in favour of constructs rooted in alleged ancient Hebrew traditions of racism and supremacy and the belief that God somehow has favourites in his creation? Such beliefs are steeped in the corrupted confusion of Hebrew Christian theology. Your clarification on these points would be most enlightening.
ExposedU2C 6 months, 1 week ago
Only a weak mind succumbs to playing the race card and I seriously doubt you wish to be enlightened given the blissfulness you derive from your ignorance. Suggest you worry less about the Good Lord having "favourites in his creation" and start worrying much more about the special place that Satan has reserved for those among us who are mired in their own deeply rooted racist beliefs.
Porcupine 6 months, 1 week ago
Well thought out and accurate comment Island Warrior. Thanks for posting.
GodSpeed 6 months, 1 week ago
Best to just stay out of this. Nothing to gain either way for us.
John 6 months, 1 week ago
Most people would heed the advice and stay out of the fray. But persons, like President Biden, who must now not only declare whom he is supporting, but also supply that side ( Israel) with bombs and weapons to fight against and probably destroy and wipe out the other side ( Palestine). And most Christians are taught the famous quote ‘ I will stand with those who support Israel and and I will destroy those who stand against her ( Israel). And for many, that should be the end of the conversation ‘ I on God’s side and so I support Israel. But what does Jesus mean when he said ‘Woe unto you who say you are Jews, but you are not.. and he goes on to tell them who they are.
. . Well whether you choose sides or not or choose the right side or not is immaterial at this juncture. Why ? Prophecy is being fulfilled and those who occupy ‘Israel’ at this time bwill prevail ( for now). What will ll happen to the remaining Palestines is uncertain. They will have to flee, or they will have to assimilate or they will be killed. The people that occupy Israel will take full control, they will rebuild the third temple and the abomination will take place. Those who chose the right side will be caught up. Those who didn’t will meet the son of perdition. The abomination that will cause desolation.
IslandWarrior 6 months, 1 week ago
However, there are also biblical warnings about false claims to Jewish identity, such as in Revelation 2:9, which states, "I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan." This suggests a more nuanced view of what it means to be aligned with God's purposes, challenging simplistic or uncritical support of Jews (Zionism) based solely on national or religious identity.
SP 6 months, 1 week ago
ST ANNE’S MP Adrian White needs sit down and STFU! Nobody with sense would support the U.S. backed genocide in Gaza.
The whole world supports a Palestinian state!
Biden and Israel WILL face charges for multiple war crimes, and crimes against humanity! AND Biden WILL lose the up coming elections to a well known jackass and proven criminal Trump.
With a $34 trillion debt, the financial system in crises, unemployment ballooning, the dollar being dumped by 30 countries, and runaway inflation, America is doomed to fail anyway!
Adrian White is a useless pile of steaming donkey dung!
John 6 months, 1 week ago
Speaking out on this matter, on either side, is like lighting a stick of dynamite with a short fuse and standing there with it in your hand. You know it will explode. And remaining quiet is like sitting in a room with a time bomb somewhere in the room. You know it is there somewhere and you know it will explode. You just don’t know when.
Dawes 6 months, 1 week ago
I think some of the comments are missing what the MP said. He did not say we should not recognize Palestine. He said that as our largest trading partner has not we should at least have had a discussion on whether we should recognize them. AS it was someone made a decision and decided that's it, after no discussion in Parliament. But hey i forget we are never meant to question the government they are always right
ExposedU2C 6 months, 1 week ago
Yasser Arafat, who was a much loved and supported leader of the Palestinian people, spewed horrific hatred and terrorism on the Israeli people for decades before becoming a pseudo-statesman late in life in exchange for much wealth secretly channelled his way by CIA operatives at the behest of President Clinton.
Most Bahamians choose not to reflect on the fact that many thousands of Israelis would have lost their lives had the Iron Dome missile defense system not been effective at intercepting and destroying the many hundreds of missiles Iran launched at indiscriminate targets in Israeli occupied areas of Israel. The Israeli people seem to have finally woken up to the fact that they themselves will be the victims of genocide if they do not do whatever it takes to eradicate the existential threat to their own existence.
For decades the two most over-used and now totally useless words by diplomats in the Middle-East have been "cease fire." There is no time for continued useless diplomacy when a much more definitive solution has been forced on the State of Israel as a matter of the survival of the Jewish people.
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