Make stance clear on Palestine

THE EDITOR, Madam:

This is an open letter to the Prime Minister.

Dear Prime Minister:

As Minister Johnson Smith prepares to represent Jamaica at the UNGA, I hope both you and the minister remember that you are not merely representing a government. You are representing Jamaica.

And, on Palestine, Jamaica needs you to be clear.

For too long, your administration have walked between the raindrops, refusing to speak plainly about Palestine. You attempt to condemn civilian suffering and invoke international law, but have never clearly said where Jamaica stands. Prime Minister, say plainly where Jamaica stands: international law and human rights must be respected by all states, without exception.

Look at what has happened to Ed Sheeran. His tour is now caught in controversy after trying to remain in the middle on Palestine. Perhaps he failed to read the room and to heed Bob Dylan’s warning: “the times they are a-changing”. There comes a point when neutrality in the face of clear injustice becomes complicity.

Jamaica must say plainly that Palestinians have a right to freedom, dignity and self-determination; that Palestinian civilians must not be killed, displaced or destroyed; and that Israel must comply with international law. What it is doing to the Palestinian people constitutes genocide. Genocide and apartheid are prohibited under international law. The destruction, forced displacement and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians must end.

If international law means what it says, it must apply to everyone, including Israel.

You and your spokespersons say it is not “pragmatic” for Jamaica to take positions that may not sit comfortably with powerful countries.

I reject that excuse. Jamaica must never bend its principles, surrender its sovereignty, sell its soul or erase its history simply to keep more powerful friends comfortable. That is not pragmatism. It is subservience.

This so-called pragmatism has not exactly served Jamaica’s interests. Nor should we forget the third-country arrangements or the loss of the Cuban medical programme, despite the vital role that programme played in our health system.

Prime Minister, enough of the carefully constructed language that allows you and the foreign minister to take a position while leaving yourselves room to retreat from it.

Jamaica deserves to know what this Government actually stands for, if anything.

When you stand at the UN, speak for Jamaica, for humanity and for international law. Jamaica has a voice. Have the courage to use it.

JALIL SAID DABDOUB

Attorney-at-law