PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Opposition Leader Kamla Persad Bissessar Monday said both Israelis and Palestinians deserve the right to live and thrive in peace in their states, as she called on Trinidad and Tobago to join the global community in calling for an end to the ongoing war in the Gaza.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has launched a large-scale military campaign against Hamas in Gaza to retaliate against a surprise Hamas attack on southern Israel, which claimed the lives of about 1,200 Israelis, according to the Israeli authorities.
The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 27,365 deaths, while 66,630 others were wounded. It is estimated that 70 percent of these deaths were women and children.
Persad Bissessar, the first woman to serve as a head of government here, said the massive death toll and extensive destruction of infrastructure, including hospitals, houses, and schools, along with crops, electricity, and water supplies, are unacceptable and must be protested by every democratic society.
“There can be no defense for Hamas launching the October 7th, 2023 attack that killed 1200 Israeli citizens. There is no excuse for that attack on Israeli civilians, but the killing of innocent Palestinians in retaliation, who were never involved in that attack, is an atrocity. “Nothing can justify the slaughter of innocent Palestinian children by the Israeli military,” she said, adding that the Trinidad and Tobago government must “leverage” the country’s current presidency of the United Nations “to inspire discussions to end the genocide of residents of Gaza.
President of the UN General Assembly, Dennis Francis, has repeatedly called for an end to the war.
“I must tell you that I am deeply concerned and indeed dismayed about the ongoing calamity in the Gaza Strip,” he said recently, noting there is a need to bring a halt to the carnage that “we are all haplessly witnessing.
“That situation behooves that we ask: how much is enough? I renew the demand for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire and for the release of all hostages,” he said.
Persad Bissessar said that the UN has, most appropriately, denounced the grave violations by Israel and the brutal attempt to destroy the Palestinian residents of Gaza.”
She said the bombardment and siege of Gaza are grossly unacceptable to all of humanity, and Trinidad and Tobago has an important responsibility to be proactive and vigilant.
“Even though Trinidad and Tobago is a small island State, a resolute approach in collaboration with international partners and Mr. Francis’ leadership at the UN could stir further international action and possibly end the military activity.
“The egregious breach of humanitarian laws and slaughter of innocent lives must be stopped. We must do our best to assist in bringing an end to the catastrophe and the unbearable pain and trauma,” she added.
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