BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – The Barbados government, expressing its alarm at the deteriorating situation in the Middle East, condemned “the heinous terrorist attacks perpetrated on Israel” earlier this month.
In a statement, the Mia Mottley government recalled the statement issued by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping on the October 7 attack, adding that the terrorist attacks “caused over a thousand to lose their lives and hundreds to be taken hostage, including women and children.
“Those responsible for these devastating violent acts must be brought to account. We express our alarm at the deteriorating situation in the Middle East and our deep concern for the safety and security of the people of Israel and Palestine.”
Barbados said that the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza threatens to spill over to the entire Middle East with catastrophic results for the people of that region, global peace, and the already fragile multilateral order.
“If the conflict continues unabated, it will also have devastating impacts on vulnerable populations everywhere,” Bridgetown warned, saying that the international community of sovereign states and their peoples must, therefore, unite and prevent the situation from any further deterioration.
It said that the UN Security Council must act urgently and in unison.
“An immediate humanitarian ceasefire, as called for by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, is essential to ensure the protection of the lives and wellbeing of the innocent civilians of Israel and Gaza.
“Even with the best intentions and the most sophisticated weapons, any aerial bombardment in Gaza, an area smaller than Barbados but with seven times our population, is bound to have devastating effects on civilians. The death of thousands of Palestinians is testimony to this.
“Barbados further calls for the immediate, unconditional release of all hostages and the provision of humanitarian assistance in all its dimensions to the people of Gaza.”
Barbados said that since joining the United Nations in 1966, it had supported a two-state solution, recognizing the rights of the people of both Israel and Palestine to their state.
“The international community must now urgently agree and take action to ensure that the Palestinian people can exercise their right to self-determination in an independent internationally-recognized state of their own by international law.
“A sustainable peace must be the world’s singular focus, and it is only with dialogue that this can be achieved,” Barbados said.
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