CELAC member states divided over Israel-Gaza war stance

Despite a call from the outgoing Pro Tempore President of the Community of Latin America and Caribbean States (CELAC), to stand united on the Israel-Gaza war, Member States could not come to a unanimous position on the ongoing conflict, resulting in all declarations but one being adopted at the eighth summit.

Heads of States, Foreign Ministers, diplomats and extra-regional partners convened in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) on March 1, 2024 for the summit where a number of issues pertaining to the economic, political, and social stability of the region were discussed.

Coming out of a post-summit press conference, CELAC’s National Coordinator, Dr Douglas Slater revealed that only 26 of the 33 Member States came to an agreement on the war in Gaza.

“All 33 Member States of CELAC did not sign on to this, so this is not a general CELAC declaration…because several members did not sign on. CELAC is a mechanism where one of the rules for procedures is that you can only call it CELAC if there is a 100 percent consensus, a unanimous decision, and it was not.”

The Member States who signed on to the document titled the ‘Statement on Israeli actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory’ are Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The statement deplores the killing of tens of thousands of Israeli and Palestinian civilians, calls for the release of all hostages and for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, during his opening address had said that he had hoped for all nine declarations under the Kingstown Declaration to be adopted unanimously.

“It is distressingly painful to witness live on television, the intransigence of the government of Israel and all the dwindling number of defenders in the perpetration of genocide against the people of Gaza and the Palestinians generally. In our draft declaration, we are demanding among other things an immediate ceasefire, ample humanitarian assistance, the observance of international law, a peaceful resolution of the conflict, and a two-state solution as repeatedly endorsed by the United Nations.”

The statement said that CELAC has decided, under the Pro-Tempore presidency of Honduras to establish a mechanism to monitor the impact of the attack, and the pursuit of peace between Israel and Palestine.

Member states were able to collectively agree on eight special declarations which cover a range of issues including migration, ocean conservation, the fight against terrorism, and disaster risk management in the region.

Member States stood in support of Cuba with the adoption of the Special Declaration on The Need To Put An End To The Economic, Commercial And Financial Blockade Imposed by The United States Against Cuba. CELAC expressed concern that, despite the resolutions adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed against Cuba has been tightened, noting the negative impact that resulted for the Cuban population and nationals living abroad.

In addition, the Special Declaration over the Malvinas Islands was also adopted, highlighting the government of Argentina’s sovereign claim over the territory. The declaration called for the Pro-Tempore Presidency to request the Secretary General of the United Nations to use his office to resume negotiations with a view to finding a peaceful solution to the dispute.

The Malvinas Islands, also known as the Falklands are a remote South Atlantic archipelago of hundreds of islands and islets over which Argentina and Britain went to war in 1982.