Georgetown’s Unexplained Snub of Israel Must End

592 GUARDIAN♦ACCOUNTABILITY♦INTEGRITY IN JOURNALISM♦GUYANA

Georgetown’s Unexplained Snub of Israel Must End

OPINION BY: Hem Kumar OCTOBER 2026

Israel’s reported nomination of an ambassador to Guyana has apparently remained unanswered for more than a year—a delay that carries significant diplomatic meaning. Under Article 4 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a receiving state must grant agrément before an ambassador, whether resident or non-resident, can be appointed, but it is under no obligation to explain a refusal. While such requests are ordinarily resolved within weeks or a few months, prolonged silence is widely understood as a “soft denial”: a confidential, face-saving means of signaling that the proposed nominee is unacceptable. In this context, Guyana’s extended non-response appears less like an administrative lapse than a deliberate political and geopolitical message.

Guyana’s failure to receive Israel’s non-resident ambassador, Matty Cohen, has become too conspicuous to be dismissed as a routine diplomatic delay. While Mr Cohen has already presented credentials in Jamaica, Barbados, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, Georgetown has yet to explain why it has not set a date for him to be formally accredited to Guyana.

The Government of Guyana must stop treating the accreditation of Israel’s non-resident ambassador as a matter too inconvenient to explain.

Israel’s Ambassador Matty Cohen has reportedly presented his credentials to Jamaica, Barbados, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. Yet in Guyana—his country’s diplomatic relations have not been formalized with Georgetown nor the CARICOM Secretariat hosted in Guyana, and the Government boasts of its leadership role in regional affairs—there has been no public explanation for why he has not been invited to present credentials to President Irfaan Ali. This silence is unacceptable.

The acceptance of credentials does not amount to an endorsement of every action of the Government of Israel. It does not prevent Guyana from condemning civilian deaths, breaches of international humanitarian law, or acts that violate the U.N. Charter. Guyana can maintain its stated position on Palestine, insist on a negotiated two-state solution, and speak without fear against injustices wherever they occur.

But Guyana cannot simultaneously claim to be a serious international actor, a defender of dialogue and a champion of multilateralism while refusing—or appearing to refuse—to complete a basic diplomatic process with a country with which it has formal ties.

The Government owes the nation direct answers. Has Ambassador Cohen formally requested an appointment to present credentials? Has the Ministry of Foreign Affairs delayed or rejected that request? Has President Ali’s Office been advised not to receive him? Is the delay administrative, political, ideological, or tied to Guyana’s voting posture at the United Nations?

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd and President Irfaan Ali must disclose why.

A Cost to Guyana’s Development

The unexplained diplomatic freeze is not merely an issue of etiquette. It may deny Guyana access to knowledge, technology, investment contacts and practical partnerships that could support the country’s urgent development needs.

Guyana has placed agriculture at the center of its diversification agenda. It wants to cut CARICOM’s food-import bill, expand food production, strengthen food security, modernize farming and establish itself as a regional food producer. Those ambitions require more than speeches, acreage announcements and occasional machinery distributions. They require technology, technical expertise, research, training, logistics and value-added production.

Israel has experience that Guyana should not ignore.

Despite operating in a dry and water-constrained environment, Israel has built globally recognized capacity in:

♦ Precision agriculture that uses sensors, satellite information, soil data and automated equipment to improve yields while reducing waste.

♦ Drip irrigation and fertigation systems that deliver water and nutrients directly to plant roots, conserving water and improving farm efficiency.

♦ Water recycling and reuse, including systems for treating wastewater for agriculture and industry.

♦ Desalination, water-storage management, leakage reduction and smart monitoring of water distribution systems.

♦ Greenhouse farming, shade-house technology, hydroponics and controlled-environment agriculture that allow more reliable crop production.

♦ Seed development, crop protection, pest-control systems and research suited to difficult climatic conditions.

♦ Dairy and livestock management, including breeding, feed systems, herd health monitoring and higher output per animal.

♦ Post-harvest management, cold storage, packaging, grading, processing and supply-chain systems that reduce spoilage.

♦ Agricultural research, extension services and farmer training designed to move innovations from laboratories into actual farms.

♦ Food-processing technology, quality assurance, export certification and traceability systems that can help producers reach higher-value markets.

Guyana does not need to copy Israel’s model. Guyana has abundant water, fertile lands and a different climate. But that is precisely why a sensible partnership could be valuable. Guyana’s comparative advantages—land, rainfall, rivers, agricultural potential and access to Caribbean markets—can be strengthened by technology that makes production more efficient, climate-resilient, market-ready and profitable.

A country with Guyana’s natural assets should be asking how to produce more food with better planning, less waste, reliable irrigation, stronger storage, higher quality, and viable export chains. It should not be allowing diplomatic uncertainty to cut off potentially useful avenues of cooperation.

Agriculture Requires More Than Land

The repeated mistake in Guyana’s development planning is the assumption that acreage alone equals agricultural transformation. It does not.

Farmers need all-weather farm-to-market roads, drainage and irrigation systems, affordable financing, dependable energy, reliable inputs, technical support, storage, processing facilities, quality control and buyers. They need protection from flood, drought, pests, price instability and post-harvest losses.

Israeli technical cooperation could assist Guyana in practical areas such as:

♦ Climate-smart drainage and irrigation for rice, vegetables, fruits and other crops.

♦ Efficient irrigation in intermediate savannahs and hinterland farming areas where access to water can be seasonal or costly.

♦ Small-scale irrigation packages and solar-powered pumping systems for family farmers and community farms.

♦ Protected agriculture for high-value crops, including peppers, tomatoes, leafy vegetables, herbs and berries.

♦ Improved livestock systems, milk production, feed planning and veterinary monitoring.

♦ Cold-chain and pack-house systems to preserve produce before shipment to local, regional and international markets.

♦ -processing support for juices, sauces, spices, dried fruits, cassava products, dairy products, packaged vegetables and other value-added goods.

♦ Digital tools that give farmers weather information, crop guidance, market prices and early warnings of pest or disease outbreaks.

♦ Training partnerships involving Guyanese farmers, technicians, agricultural students, the Guyana School of Agriculture, the University of Guyana and relevant public agencies.

Guyana must not reduce its international partnerships to oil, roads, loans and ceremonial visits. The country needs results-oriented cooperation that strengthens domestic productive capacity. Agriculture, agro-processing, water security and rural employment are not side issues. They are central to whether Guyana can build an economy that survives and prospers beyond petroleum.

Diplomatic Recognition Is Not Surrender

Some may argue that Israel’s military conduct in Gaza makes normal diplomatic engagement impossible. That argument misunderstands diplomacy.

Guyana should remain free to condemn what it considers violations of international law. It should continue to support the protection of civilians, humanitarian access, accountability for atrocities and a just peace for Palestinians and Israelis alike. It should do so consistently, including where powerful states are involved.

But refusing to receive an ambassador is not a substitute for a coherent foreign policy. Nor does it advance Guyana’s interests.

Diplomatic engagement creates a formal channel for Guyana to make its concerns known. It allows the Government to pursue agricultural, technological, educational and investment cooperation while maintaining its independence on matters of war, peace and international law.

No responsible government should make Guyanese farmers, consumers, young people, businesses and public institutions pay the price for unexplained political hesitation.

The Questions Government Must Answer

President Ali and Minister Todd should immediately address the following:

1.Has Ambassador Matty Cohen formally sought permission to present credentials in Georgetown

2.If so, when was the request made, and what response did Guyana provide?

3.Has Guyana delayed, declined or placed conditions on his accreditation?

4.If there is a delay, what specific policy, legal, administrative or diplomatic reason justifies it?

5.Does Guyana intend to receive Israel’s ambassador before the end of 2026

6.Has the failure to accredit him affected Israel’s engagement with Guyana or the wider CARICOM Community?

7.What steps has Guyana taken to explore cooperation with Israel on agriculture, water management, agro-processing, climate adaptation, technology and training?

These are reasonable questions. They require clear answers, not private briefings, evasive statements or partisan spin.

Guyana cannot declare itself the food basket of the Caribbean while neglecting every available avenue for agricultural modernization. It cannot demand a greater voice in global affairs while leaving basic diplomatic matters unresolved. And it cannot champion national development while permitting opaque political calculations to block partnerships that may benefit the Guyanese people.

The Government must receive Ambassador Cohen or explain, in full, why it will not. That is the minimum standard of transparency and seriousness Guyanese citizens should expect.