A pro-Palestinian supporter waves a flag as pro-Palestinians and pro-Israel supporters hold opposing demonstrations at the McGill University campus, in Montreal, Thursday, May 2, 2024. Photo: Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press via AP
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune News Editor
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
CABINET formally recognised Palestine as a state yesterday, making The Bahamas the last CARICOM country to do so.
The Bahamas joins at least 141 other countries in recognising Palestine, though the move is at odds with the United States of America, its main trading partner.
Israel has repeatedly rebuffed efforts to recognise Palestine, with its government saying earlier this year that recognition “would be a massive and unprecedented reward to terrorism and would prevent any future peace settlement.”
Recognition of Palestine has increased since war broke out in Gaza after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
More than 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed since hostilities began, including over 14,000 children and 9000 women. The war has led to a humanitarian crisis, including the collapse of Palestine’s healthcare system.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday: “The government of The Bahamas believes that recognition of the state of Palestine strongly demonstrates The Bahamas’ commitment to the principles espoused in the Charter of the United Nations and to the right of self-determination of peoples as articulated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).”
“The Bahamas became an independent nation in 1973 as an act of self-determination. Therefore, The Bahamas supports the legal right of the Palestinian people of self-determination ‘to freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development’.”
Yesterday, former Foreign Affairs Minister Darren Henfield said the “government has probably taken a principled position on the view of statehood of Palestine, which governments are wont to do”.
He added: “We understand and appreciate that most of the G-20 countries don’t subscribe to this. The US is our most important trading partner. When we make decisions like this, their views must always be a part of our consideration. Perhaps that’s why it took so long.”
Comments
Baha10 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Why “buck heads” with the “powers that be” upon whom our Economy depends and from whom we seek assistance in times of disaster?!? Makes absolutely no sense … stay out of World Politics and focus selfishly on making decisions that will benefit The Bahamas. One thing is for sure when the next Hurricane decimates us, we don’t want to be told “Call Gaza”!
DDK 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Well done, Bahamas!!
Jetflt 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Way to go, Bahamas!!! You now support terrorists because that's who Palestinians have obviously been supporting for years?
Proguing 7 months, 2 weeks ago
It's not the Palestinians who are the colonisers and who are committing genocide...
moncurcool 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Precisely!
Jetflt 7 months, 2 weeks ago
When you support the ones committing genocide, which is Hamas, then you are complicit in my book. Wake up! I know we Bahamians tend be sleepy often times.
ExposedU2C 7 months, 2 weeks ago
By this ridiculous logic, when the more fanatical among those of Haitian heritage in The Bahamas seek to create their own state wihin our nation, sleazy and slimy Freddy Boy Mitchell and corrupt dumbo Davis will propose that they be given all of Abaco or perhaps all of Grand Bahama as their new sovereign home state to hoist their flag over with Henfield as their first president. Yes indeed fellow Bahamians, the new state to be known as Little Baha-Haiti is on the horizon under this PLP government.
These two fools, sleazy and slimy Freddy Boy Mitchell and corrupt dumbo Davis, will dutifully spit in the eyes of the U.S. government whenever their ChiCom masters instruct them to do so.
LastManStanding 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Your analogy is backwards, Palestinians lived in Palestine for millennia before Zionists created the nation state of Israel and ethnically cleansed the region of the natives (Christian and Muslim) while bringing in boatloads of people that had zero connection that region to create their own little enclave. Palestine is a testing ground for the policies that they want to enact on us in the future.
I also have to laugh at the irony regarding your mention of Abaco and the governments argument of "self-determination" considering that Abaco was denied self determination decades ago because it was conchy joes that asked for it. Abaco had (and still has to some degree) a distinct heritage and had every right to choose to remain as part of the UK (or become it's own independent nation), but yet "self-determination" didn't apply to a group of White people that wanted to have a say over their own affairs. Hypocrisy at it's finest from the government.
hrysippus 7 months, 2 weeks ago
LeastManStanding. I am compelled in the interests of truth, to challenge your assertion; Israel was created by the European and US powers in the aftermath of WW 1. A political decision taken for economic reasons although it followed on from hundreds of years of religious and ethnic persecution from most every country in the world; it was seen perhaps as redress.
LastManStanding 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Prior to 1948, the area of the nation state of Israel was known as the British Mandate of Palestine (emphasis on that last part) and that area has always been called Palestine since the days of the Romans. The Balfour Declaration is what caused this entire problem as it promised a group of people land that they had no rights to. Another example of the British (controlled by Zionist finance of course (Rothschild and his money was key to the declaration)) mucking up parts of the world that they had no business being in. Picking apart the claims of "persecution" is another matter entirely (and a rabbit hole that can go on for hours), but it really reflects poorly on a group of people as a collective if they have just finished being "genocided" and "ethnically cleansed" only to go to another part of the world and do literally the exact same thing they just alleged happened to them. Turns out expelling and killing your neighbors arouses a certain degree of hatred, who would have thought. The only reason Israel as a nation state even exists today is because Arab military commanders were two cents short of a dollar and made incredibly incompetent military decisions; the fact that literally every Arab nation in the region put aside their differences and allied to fight against them (for a time atleast) speaks volumes.
avidreader 7 months, 2 weeks ago
How wonderful it would be if complex issues could be resolved by the exchange of snide and bitter comments! The issue at hand is very complex and stretches far back in history. Much further back than the Balfour Declaration of 1917 or the British Mandate over Palestine that ended in May of 1948. The resentments and prejudices run very deep and are difficult for "outsiders" to understand fully. The Palestinian people have no champion. They were expelled from the kingdom of Jordan in 1970 after disturbances there. They have been dispossessed by another "tribe" who see them as obstacles to territorial expansion. Not an enviable position to occupy. The Swedish diplomat Folke Bernadotte paid the ultimate price in 1948 for his support for a two state solution which has never been implemented and very likely never will be. The question was asked in the early days of Israeli independence, "Must we swim in an Arab sea"?
ExposedU2C 7 months, 2 weeks ago
This matter goes a lot further back than the 19th century. Chapter 3 of the good Book of Exodus says all there is to say about God having given the Jews (the Israelites), as his chosen people, claim to the Promised Land of Canaan, now know as Israel.
birdiestrachan 7 months, 2 weeks ago
It matters not because they do not respect us but the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob values the lives of Palestine just as much as the lives of Israel’s innocent women and children their blood will cry out to a just God and his justice will prevail all men will pass away from the scene But the all mighty God will remain
ExposedU2C 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Yes, the Almighty God will remain, but let's hope the State of Israel will remain too. Remember, it was necessary for a lot of non-Israelis to perish by drowning when God closed the Seas parted by Moses. Threatening to annihilate God's chosen people comes with much loss of life for which the fanatical terrorist leaders of the State of Iran should be held fully responsible - not the Israeli government. Negotiating with fanatical terrorists has never really been an option.
birdiestrachan 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Israel became a state in 1948 and they continue to push the people they meet there in smaller spaces Something like what happened to the Indians the Australias the South Africans New Zealand, it is Said that if man would learn from history what lessons it would teach
ExposedU2C 7 months, 2 weeks ago
You seem ignorant of the terrible conditions under which Jews around the world had to live for many centuries. Their ancestors have a lot more in common with our black slave ancestors than many of us might know or care to think.
birdiestrachan 7 months, 2 weeks ago
It seems GBP had those ideas big iron gates by eight mile rock and pinders point gates by the beach also do not forget the pass so that it does not happen again
TalRussell 7 months, 2 weeks ago
The whole truth has been that those big ideas of the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) have never been made to beg on bended knee in apology for their curfew enforced 'dusk to dawn' secured wrought iron gates'. --- Yes?
John 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Woe unto those who say they are Jews, but they are not
birdiestrachan 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Just the same there is no justification for killing so many innocent women and children God made Them and he loves them and values their lives the same as others
birdiestrachan 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Joseph and Mary had to take Jesus to Egypt to keep him safe
birdiestrachan 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Remember he came unto his own and they received hin not but as many as received him they because The children of God who was Jesus talking about as nat nat
bahamianson 7 months, 2 weeks ago
I am glad that Bahamians are deep concerned about these matters. I am sure the parties inquisition appreciate your advise. Seriously? Like you all do not have enough on your plate just to stay alive in The Bahamas? Keep fighting the good fight.
Sickened 7 months, 2 weeks ago
So many quotes and references to the Bible. Would I sound just as ridiculous if I quoted from the book of Star Trek. For Captain Kirk said.... The situation and history of the middle east is hard enough without bringing in other fictional fantasies and characters.
Twocent 7 months, 2 weeks ago
There is no historic or archeological record at all for Star Trek lol. And let’s remember, there is a difference between the Jews and the radical Zionists, just as there is a difference between the Palestinians, many of whom are Christian, and The terrorist group Hammas. The Zionists and the Muslims adhere to ideologies that will forever have them believe they have primacy in this world.
Socrates 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Another bad decision that didn’t have to be made. The Bahamas more and more is taking a direction inconsistent with its traditional Allies. This decision is at odds with the constitution which says we are a Christian nation. How can we then recognize a group who among other things want to destroy a nation that’s central to the Christian religion? Our reporters need to do a better job of keeping us informed about what our people are supporting at the UN. We spend a lot of public money at that place and know very little about what we are doing there.
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