Barbados decides to officially recognize Palestine as a State

The Government of Barbados decided to officially recognize Palestine as a State, influenced by the current offensive of the Israeli Army in the Gaza Strip which has caused the death of more than 34,000 Palestinians in six months.

“The time has come for us to have formal diplomatic recognition of the State of Palestine,” announced the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kerrie Symmonds, according to local media published this Sunday.

The Foreign Minister highlighted that Barbados has always defended at the United Nations that there should be a two-state solution but that “ironically” they had never recognized the State of Palestine.

“Therefore, there is an inconsistency and inconsistency because how can we say that we want a two-state solution if we do not recognize Palestine as a State?” he asked.

For this reason, Symmonds presented to the Cabinet “the document necessary to formally recognize an error made over the years and correct it.”

About the conflict between Israel and Hamasthe head of diplomacy urged “an effort to stabilize and reduce tensions.”

“Barbados, together with Caricom (Caribbean Community), has expressed its unconditional disappointment and dissatisfaction with the humanitarian crisis and the disproportionality of the Israeli response,” he denounced.

However, Symmonds specified that the recognition of Palestine as a State does not affect the relationship that Barbados has with Israel.

“Since August 29, 1967, Barbados has had formal recognition of the State of Israel and the relationship between the two countries has been exceptionally good,” he noted.

The head of Barbadian diplomacy indicated that his country has benefited from technical cooperation with the State of Israel in a series of fields such as food security and agriculture.

Last Thursday, the United States vetoed in the Security Council the resolution that opened the door to Palestine’s entry as a full member of the United Nations, of which it is now only an observer state.