The last two living former prime ministers of Belize - right Honourable's Dean Barrow and Said Musa - have released a joint statement on the war on Palestine. While they acknowledge that Hamas' actions were wrong, they also recognized that it was born out of, quote, "Israel's years-long blockade of Gaza, its displacement of Palestinians and seizure of their properties, its arbitrary arrest and imprisonment of citizens in both Gaza and the West Bank and its annihilation of human rights." End quote.
The statement continues by saying, quote, "No so-called "right of self-defence" can excuse Israel's pitiless siege and unrelenting bombing of Gaza." End quote.
Both Barrow and Musa write that they are horrified at what they call Israel's "genocidal" assault on Gaza, which has killed approximately 8,000 people, and that the, quote, "clear expressions of intent and incitement to genocide by Israel's leaders have not been condemned."
They add that, quote, "The failure of the United Nations to stop an ongoing genocide, played out on the world's media screens as some macabre horror serial show, is profoundly disturbing and could seriously affect its relevance to achieving world peace." End quote.
Barrow and Musa are joining leaders, organizations and people of conscience everywhere in calling for an immediate ceasefire, and for aid, relief, and reconstruction to flow to Gaza.
They also add that Israel and Hamas should exchange prisoners and the international community must negotiate an end to the war, which would see a resolution rooted in the right of the Palestinians to self-determination.
