Henry Srebrnik: Caribbean states take pro-Palestinian positions on Gaza war

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The small states of the Caribbean who belong to CARICOM (the Caribbean Community) are not often heard from when it comes to international issues. But they have taken a strong pro-Palestinian position on the war in Gaza.

CARICOM is a grouping of 20 mostly anglophone entities. With 15 sovereign member states and five associate members that remain British Overseas Territories, it is home to approximately 16 million citizens.

The Community was established in 1973 by four English-speaking Caribbean countries but has since become a multilingual organization with the addition of Dutch-speaking Suriname in 1995 and French-speaking Haiti in 2002.

Stretching from the Bahamas in the north to Suriname and Guyana in South America, all CARICOM states except for Belize in Central America, and Guyana and Suriname in South America, are islands or archipelagos.

Two days after the Oct. 7 invasion of Israel by Hamas, CARICOM put out a statement, saying that it “abhors the attacks in Israel and the counterattacks in the Palestinian territory of Gaza.”

“CARICOM thus joins the responsible members of the international community in calling for an immediate ceasefire and end of hostilities by all parties.” Accordingly, the Community continued, it supported “the ongoing efforts of the United Nations towards a two-state solution as the best way to achieve comprehensive peace, security and tranquillity between Israel and Palestine.”

However, not all CARICOM countries were initially on the same page. “On the situation in the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinians, we are friends of both peoples and we are very distressed, saddened and concerned about the innocent loss of lives,” Andrew Holness, prime minister of Jamaica, remarked on Nov. 13. He noted Jamaica has Palestinian and Jewish communities, pointing out “we have been petitioned by both.”

This statement followed some consternation within CARICOM after Jamaica did not vote on a resolution tabled at the United Nations General Assembly on October 27 that called for an immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce between Israeli forces and Hamas militants.

Twelve CARICOM countries were among the 120 votes in favour of the resolution. There were 14 votes against and 45 abstentions. “The ongoing harsh conditions under which the Palestinians live in veritable colonialism and Israel’s sense of insecurity will contribute to a cycle of violence until those realities are definitively addressed,” CARICOM declared.

Holness dismissed the suggestion Jamaica’s position globally had been diminished. “Jamaica has maintained a principled and consistent foreign policy, because Jamaica has also operated in a strategic way in making sure that we also look out for our national interest,” he insisted.

But as the war dragged on and casualties mounted, the CARICOM heads of government, meeting in Georgetown, Guyana, at the end of February, on March 1 “expressed grave concern with the ongoing situation in Gaza.” While they reaffirmed their condemnation of Hamas’ October 7 assault on Israel and resultant hostage-taking, they criticized the subsequent “Israeli actions that violate international humanitarian law and the human rights of the Palestinian people.”

Iran and Israel exchanged drone and missile strikes in April and the world was braced for a fully-fledged war in the Middle East. The Caribbean Community Council of Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) stated on April 14 that it “views with grave concern the escalating violence in the Middle East, particularly the recent direct military engagements between Israel and Iran. These developments not only exacerbate the already tense situation but also pose significant threats to regional stability and international peace.”

Guyana has played a major role in CARICOM’s stance on the war because it was elected in 2023 to the 15-member UN Security Council for a two-year term as a non-permanent member.

The country, whose population is partly of Muslim faith due to its large population of South Asian origin, maintains close ties with the Muslim world. In 2011, Georgetown formally recognized “the State of Palestine as a free, independent, and sovereign state, based on its 1967 borders.” Guyana’s President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, who is Indo-Guyanese, has championed the Palestinian cause on the international stage. Some commentators have gone so far as to call on Guyana to “reset relations with Israel.”

Guyana on March 22 abstained from voting on a United States sponsored draft resolution on Gaza that received 11 votes in favour, three against – from Russia, China and Algeria – and the one abstention by Guyana. But Guyana was among the members which, shortly thereafter, backed another resolution, demanding “an immediate ceasefire” during Ramadan, which passed.

It was also among the 12 members which on April 18 voted in favour of a draft resolution that recommended “the State of Palestine be admitted to membership in the United Nations.” This was vetoed by the U.S.

On April 19 Barbados announced its official recognition of Palestine as a state. A few days later, Jamaica followed suit. Foreign Affairs Minister Kamina Johnson Smith maintained this was the “only viable option to resolve the longstanding conflict, guarantee the security of Israel and uphold the dignity and rights of Palestinians.” On May 3, so did Trinidad and Tobago.

They have now joined the 10 other CARICOM member states which had already recognized the State of Palestine. Attuned to their postcolonial identities, CARICOM member states have increasingly gravitated to the Palestinian cause.

Henry Srebrnik is a professor of political science at the University of Prince Edward Island.