Palestinians look for survivors under the rubble of a destroyed house following an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, on November 13, 2023. Photo: AP.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—Belize suspended diplomatic relations with Israel in response to the latter’s indiscriminate bombing of Gaza and genocide against civilians.
Through an official statement issued on Tuesday, November 14, the government of Belize announced a series of measures against the Zionist entity, with immediate effect. As part of these measures, Belize revoked the accreditation of Israel’s ambassador-designate to Belize and suspended all activities of the Israeli Honorary Consulate in Belize.
“Since the 7th October 2023, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has engaged in unceasing indiscriminate bombing in Gaza which has killed more than 11,000 innocent civilians, mostly women and children,” the press release of the Belize government noted. “The bombing has destroyed many buildings and infrastructure including hospitals, schools and other infrastructure.”
The note decried the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza under war and total siege by the occupation forces, with basic necessities of life, including water supply, food, electricity, and medical supplies, all cut off.
“More than 1 million Gazans are internally displaced as a direct result of the war,” the statement continued, adding that since October 7, “Israel has consistently violated international law, international humanitarian law and the human rights of Gazans.”
BREAKING: #Belize effectively suspends diplomatic relations with '#Israel'. 🫡🇧🇿 pic.twitter.com/sjhdXkMqoZ
— Kevin Chen Sierra 🇧🇿 (@kevinjohnchen) November 14, 2023
The document further stated that the government of Belize has “appealed to Israel to implement an immediate ceasefire, and to allow unimpeded access of humanitarian supplies into Gaza. Despite our requests, Israel has not stopped its violation of international humanitarian law nor allowed relief workers to alleviate the sufferings of millions of Gazans.”
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In this situation, the Belizean government decided to effectively suspend diplomatic ties with the occupation entity. It withdrew the agreement for the accreditation of Einat Kranz-Neiger, ambassador-designate of Israel to Belize, as well as the suspension of all activities carried out by the Honorary Consulate of Israel in Belize and the appointment of the Honorary Consul.
In addition, the government of Belize suspended all activities of the Honorary Consulate of Belize in Tel Aviv, Israel, and withdrew the appointment of its Honorary Consul and its application for accreditation of Jonathan Enav as Honorary Consul of Belize in Israel.
The government announced that these measures were adopted “with the approval of the cabinet and other PUP [ruling party] members of the House of Representatives, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration.”
Belize thus joins Latin American countries such as Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Brazil, and Honduras which, in recent days, have either severed diplomatic ties with Israel or recalled their ambassadors from Israel in response to the occupation entity’s genocidal war in Gaza.
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Saheli Chowdhury
Saheli Chowdhury is from West Bengal, India, studying physics for a profession, but with a passion for writing. She is interested in history and popular movements around the world, especially in the Global South. She is a co-editor and contributor for Orinoco Tribune.
