Leaders of left-wing countries from Latin America and the Caribbean gathered in Caracas, Venezuela, on Wednesday to condemn Israel for committing “genocide” in Gaza through self-defense operations against Hamas.
Support for Hamas prevailed at the 23rd meeting of the Bolivarian Alliance for the American Peoples Treaty of Commerce (ALBA-TCP) trade bloc. ALBA-TCP, often referred to simply as “ALBA,” is a self-proclaimed “anti-imperialist” far-left free trade group founded in December 2004 in Havana, Cuba, by late dictators Hugo Chávez and Fidel Castro. It is a block.
The bloc was originally established as a binational group by the Cuban and Venezuelan regimes, but now includes Bolivia, Nicaragua, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia. I am. organization. Suriname, Haiti, IranSyria is an “observer” member of the left-wing trade bloc.
The bloc’s latest meeting, hosted by Venezuela’s socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, concluded with a 22-point agreement. statement Topics include support for Venezuela’s upcoming sham presidential election and the lifting of U.S. sanctions on President Maduro and Nicaragua’s communist regime. praise For the China-led BRICS trade and security bloc.
In a statement, ALBA member states expressed their “strongest repudiation and condemnation of the genocide committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, with the complicity and support of the United States government. This genocide is the worst in our country’s history. “It has resulted in one of the world’s greatest humanitarian catastrophes.” times. ”
The conference also produced a “Special Statement on the Situation in Palestine” by the left-wing trade bloc. I was demanded to It recognized “Palestine” as a state with Jerusalem as its capital and asked for membership in the United Nations. Demands for the establishment of a “Palestinian” state through the destruction of Israel are echoed by Hamas, the Gaza-based jihadist terrorist group that invaded Israel in October, killing 1,200 people and committing widespread atrocities, including mass rape. This is a core requirement. , infanticide, kidnapping, and torture.
ALBA’s communiqué urges the international community to “immediately cease shelling in Gaza and commit the genocide committed against its people”, referring to Hamas’ operation to prevent a repeat of its October atrocities, and calling on Israel to “immediately cease shelling in Gaza and , war crimes and crimes against humanity.” 7. Left-wing states argued that “the Israeli government and its supporters” must be “accountable for crimes committed against the Palestinian people in accordance with international law.”
Wednesday’s 23rd meeting will be the first time the bloc has met since the 22nd ALBA meeting in Havana, Cuba, in December 2022, although the bloc has previously announced multiple meetings. statement After Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, all of them made no mention of Hamas or condemned the jihadist group’s atrocities that day. The atrocity left more than 1,200 civilians dead and hundreds taken hostage. Several Latin American nationals.
Previous ALBA statements issued since October 7, like Wednesday’s, do not mention Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israel. Instead, ALBA has repeatedly called for the creation of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. None of the ALBA heads of state or representatives who attended Wednesday’s meeting mentioned the October 7 atrocities, nor did they refer to the final joint statement.
“ALBA continues to hold its flag high as an alternative to the far right and fascism in our America and around the world,” President Nicolas Maduro wrote on social media while sharing a copy of the special statement.
Marco of multilateralism and diplomacy in Paz, expressing the Israeli conflict and pioneering the changes needed in Las Cosas, Palestino, Reval, Lucando por la Paz, Igualdado, Respeto… pic.twitter.com/WwbwImJxwd
— Nicolas Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) April 25, 2024
“The Palestinian issue, this is not a war, it’s a genocide, and some of you who are humanitarians and Christians and devout Christians, excuse me, are in that position.” [is] With solidarity, companionship and love for the noble people of Palestine,” President Maduro said during a meeting with leftist heads of state. “Palestine lives, Palestine fights, and Palestine will always win!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSRud1-dYvI
During the meeting, President Miguel Diaz-Canel, a figurehead of the Castro regime, said: was denied Speaking on behalf of the ALBA bloc, he said: “Despite the serious risks of regionalization of the Middle East conflict, Israel is acting with impunity thanks to the complicity and support of the US government.”
“Only an imperialist mentality, an interventionist agenda, can deny that peace and stability in the region depend in the first place on a comprehensive, just and durable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Díaz-Canel said. insisted. A sovereign and independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and pre-1967 borders, guaranteeing all refugees the right of return to their lands. ”
Bolivian socialist, pro-Iranian faction President Luis Arce proposed that ALBA include “Palestine” as a member of the bloc. It is unclear whether Mr. Arce will recognize Hamas as a “Palestinian” government or as the Palestinian Authority, which administers the West Bank.
“Last October, ALBA-TCP was one of the first regional blocs to speak out against the escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip, warning of the already obvious violations of international law norms and principles. “We must remember that the United Nations Charter was not upheld as the conflict escalated,” Arce said.
Joseph Andal, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Grenada claimed Describing the situation in Gaza as a “stain on the conscience of humanity”, he said the Western world “shows hypocrisy as state-of-the-art military aircraft operate against civilians, killing civilians every day”. he accused.
#EnVideo📹| Canciller de Granada, Joseph Andal claimed that “Israel is committing genocide in Gaza” in order to protect peace in Palestine.#SembrandoPatria pic.twitter.com/pTdP3AE0x0
— VTV canal 8 (@VTVcanal8) April 25, 2024
“And as always, we see nothing but hypocrisy. We are a small country, but we understand the principles of humanity and dignity. We call on you to condemn these acts that have taken place,” Andal said. . “History will not be kind to us if we allow this genocide to continue without doing anything.”
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves rejected “Israel’s genocidal government, which relies on the support of the most powerful state in history.”
Mr Gonsalves claimed he had “always been an anti-imperialist” and acknowledged the “genocide” in Gaza because “the history of this country records that it was carried out by the British”. He added that there is.
The Prime Minister went on to argue that the only way to compensate for this suffering is through “reparations from those who promoted this cruel and anti-human system.”
Christian K. Caruso is a Venezuelan writer who chronicles life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
