Caribbean countries vote against Israeli settlements in UN vote

Caribbean nations voted overwhelmingly to support a United Nations resolution condemning Israel’s continued illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories.

The resolution, which Guyana cosponsored along with the State of Palestine and over 20 countries, calls for Israel to end its “unlawful presence” on Palestinian territory within 12 months.

It also demands that Israel immediately cease all new illegal settlement activity, evacuate all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory, return land seized since its occupation started in 1967 and allow Palestinians displaced to return to their homes.

Of the 16 Caribbean countries that are members of the UN’s General Assembly, Haiti and the Dominican Republic were the only ones that abstained from voting.

Forty-three nations, most of whom have strong relations with the United States and Israel, abstained.

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A total of 124 countries voted in support of the resolution.

The US and Israel were among 14 countries that rejected the resolution.

Before the vote, St Vincent and the Grenadines Ambassador to the United Nations Inga King said the ongoing fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip “continues not only to test the most fundamental principles of international law but also the moral conscience of the international community.”

“The situation is catastrophic with the Gaza Strip having devolved into a site of carnage,” she added.

The ambassador told members present in the UN General Assembly that fighting between Israel and Hamas, which is listed as a terrorist group by most UN members, did not happen in a vacuum.

“Let us be clear, this dire situation is inextricably linked to illegal occupation, disposition and harsh settler colonialism which gradually eroded the internationally established borders. The recent advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice is unambiguous. Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful and must be brought to an end as rapidly as possible,” King said.

Over 1.9 million Palestinians have been left displaced following fighting between Israel and Hamas militants, which began on October 7, 2023.

At least 40,000 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children, have died. Most were killed by Israeli airstrikes on residential buildings, hospitals, refugee camps and schools, which they claimed were hideouts for Hamas militants.

King said countries cannot sit by and allow Israel to continue to breach international law.

She called on member states to ensure international law is applied uniformly “as its erosion enables the atrocities that we are currently witnessing in the Gaza Strip today.”

King added St Vincent and the Grenadines believes Israel and the State of Palestine can exist peacefully once international law is followed.