Photos:
The following is an open letter sent to Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley, by Concerned Citizens of Trinidad & Tobago, regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s genocidal war on Palestinians:
Hon. Prime Minister,
As you may be aware, there are many citizens of Trinidad and Tobago who are deeply disturbed by the genocide and deteriorating humanitarian crisis being experienced by the Palestinian people. This is not a matter for only members of one religious faith. It is a matter that should be of concern to all Trinbagonians who believe in justice and who stand for humanity.
We the below signed organisations have made public statements on this issue. The Concerned Muslims of Trinidad and Tobago has organised two public demonstrations around the Queen’s Park Savannah and the below signed organisations participated in a Joint Rally on Sunday last at which several proposals were made calling for Trinidad and Tobago to take positive action to demonstrate our abhorrence at the genocide and humanitarian crisis facing the Palestinian People. These proposals were endorsed by acclamation at the Rally. We are therefore calling on the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to:
(1) Suspend diplomatic relations with Israel. Note: Several countries, South Africa among them, have suspended diplomatic relations while others have recalled their diplomatic staff from Israel.
(2) Revoke the diplomatic credentials of the Israeli Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago given his public and “out of place” criticism of this country’s and CARICOM’s position.
(3) Immediately recognise the State of Palestine. Note: Several of our CARICOM states did so many years ago.
(4) Halt all trade – both exports and imports – between Trinidad and Tobago and Israel. This must include halting the purchase of military and other equipment (including hardware and software) for use by our security services.
(5) Actively support the international Boycott, Disinvest and Sanction (BDS) campaign by: (a) ensuring that the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund disinvest from any securities, financial instruments and financial institutions which are directly connected to Israel; (b) having the National Insurance Board likewise disinvest if it has any foreign securities, financial instruments and investments in institutions which are directly connected to Israel; and (c) at state enterprises work with the employees’ representatives of private pension funds to also disinvest if these funds have any foreign securities, financial instruments and investments in institutions which are directly connected to Israel.
(6) Boycott any sporting, cultural or other activities in which Israel is a participant. It should be recalled that there was an international boycott of sports and cultural activities by countries, including Trinidad and Tobago, against apartheid South Africa and the same should apply to apartheid Israel.
(7) Immediately initiate steps to have a new Logo/Emblem for the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service that represents some aspect of Trinidad and Tobago to replace the current “Star of David” which has now become universally recognised with the apartheid state of Israel. We hold no malice against those who originally chose the Star of David as the TTPS Logo or for its use over many decades, however, it is now discredited and has no significance to Trinidad and Tobago. It must be changed. Hon. Prime Minister, we rest our calls for action by the Government on the indisputable facts of the Genocide and humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the West Bank. Some of these facts are summarised below.
The incessant bombing of Gaza by the Israeli military which has resulted in:
(A) more than 10,000 people being killed, most of them being women and children;
(B) over 25000 people injured with life threatening injuries and 1.4 million people being displaced;
(C) the cutting off of water, fuel, electricity, food and other requirements essential for life;
(D) the bombing of hospitals, other health facilities, refugee camps resulting in a shortage of life saving medicines and equipment; together with the increased attack by illegal Israeli settlers against civilian Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and the raids by the Israeli military into the occupied areas and the arbitrary arrests of persons, who are being held without charges and trials; these all add up to what can only be described as genocide, war crimes and the breaking of international humanitarian laws. This position has been reinforced by statements by high-ranking members of the Israeli government and military calling for the annihilation of all Palestinians in Gaza, as for example by the defence minister stating that Palestinians are “human animals” and another Minister saying that Gaza should be nuked.
The description of “genocide” is not just ours. On October 28th, Craig Mokhiber, the director in the New York Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights resigned stating that “This is a text-book case of genocide…The European, ethno-nationalist, settler colonial project in Palestine has entered its final phase, toward the expedited destruction of the last remnants of indigenous Palestinian life in Palestine.”
We are sure, Prime Minister, that you know that Israel has absolutely no respect or regard for the United Nations. It has repeatedly failed to adhere, indeed, thumbed its nose at UN Resolutions
including the UN Security Council Resolution 2334 of 2016. The UN itself seems to be unable to hold Israel to account for violations of the SC Resolutions as documented in the Reports to the
UN SC by its Special Rapporteur. That Special Rapporteur in his 2021 Report stated that “two million Palestinians live in Gaza, described regularly as an „open air prison”; and that “apartheid is not, sadly, a phenomenon confined to the history books on southern Africa.” He then demonstrated how Israel is actively carrying out policies of apartheid.
Most recently, Israel rejected out of hand the Motion adopted on October 27th by the United “apartheid is not, sadly, a phenomenon confined to the history books on southern Africa.” He then demonstrated how Israel is actively carrying out policies of apartheid. Nations General Assembly, chaired admirably by our own diplomat, Ambassador Dennis Francis, when 120 countries – more than two thirds of the members states of the UN voted for an “immediate, durable and sustainable humanitarian truce.” Only 14 countries, Israel included, voted against that Resolution. This total disdain for the UN was openly expressed by the Israeli Ambassador to that international body, when he castigated and disparaged the UN itself and sovereign nations who dared to disagree with Israel. He later went as far as to demand the resignation of the UN Secretary General. This cannot be tolerated or given comfort.
The continued disregard for human life by Israel has catalysed the unprecedented “Statement by Principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, on the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory entitled – We need an immediate humanitarian ceasefire”. This statement, dated November 5th, was signed by eighteen Directors of UN and other International Agencies, including the WHO, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UNDP, UN Women, United Nations Population Fund, UNICEF, World Food Programme, UN-Habitat, Save the Children, International Organization for Migration, Christian Aid, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
The Statement said, inter alia, “An entire population is besieged and under attack, denied access to the essentials for survival, bombed in their homes, shelters, hospitals and places of worship. This is unacceptable. More than 100 attacks against health care have been reported. Scores of aid workers have been killed since October 7 including 88 UNRWA colleagues – the highest
number of United Nations fatalities ever recorded in a single conflict. We renew our plea for the parties to respect all their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law.
We renew our call for the immediate and unconditional release of all civilians held hostage. Civilians and the infrastructure they rely on – including hospitals, shelters and schools – must be
protected…We need an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. It‟s been 30 days. Enough is enough. This must stop now.”
Hon. Prime Minister, while we know that Trinidad and Tobago took a principled position and was one of the 120 nations that supported the UN General Assembly Resolution calling for a humanitarian truce, more must be done now that Israel continues its genocide with impunity and is disregarding the UN and other international bodies such as Amnesty International. Indeed, just
yesterday the Israeli Prime Minister called in the entire resident diplomatic core in Israel to make his case for this genocide. The time has come for the world to tell Israel that it is alone. Israel must be isolated and treated like the international pariah that it is. We did so before with respect to apartheid South Africa. We must do so again with apartheid and genocidal Israel.
We therefore call on you to take the positive actions that we have identified as being within our power as a sovereign nation to implement. Let not history judge us as being on the wrong side of humanity.
We are, respectfully,
Imtiaz Mohammed
Public Relations Officer
Concerned Muslims of Trinidad and Tobago
Zakiya Uzoma-Wadada
Executive Chair
Emancipation Support Committee
Shabaka Kambon
Director
Caribbean Freedom Project
Ozzi Warwick
General Secretary
Joint Trade Union Movement
David Abdulah
Political Leader
Movement for Social Justice
CONCERNED MUSLIMS OF TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
c/o Islamic Centre, La Solita Road, Kelly Village, Caroni, Trinidad and Tobago
Telephone: +1-868-680-3460
