Golding condemns bombing of civilians in Gaza amid Israel-Hamas conflict
Published:Tuesday | October 31, 2023 | 12:05 AMRuddy Mathison/Gleaner Writer
Opposition Leader Mark Golding and his People’s National Party (PNP) have condemned what they have described as the indiscriminate bombing of the Gaza Strip in the Middle East.
At the same time, however, addressing the official opening of a new St Catherine North West constituency office at Riversdale in the parish, Golding acknowledged and supported Israel’s right to defend itself.
During his presentation at the opening of the office on Saturday evening, the opposition leader called for a proportionate response from Israel to the killing and kidnapping of its civilians in an attack by Hamas militants during a concert near the Israeli border with Gaza on October 7.
“I am all in favour of Israel defending itself. What happened on October 7 was an atrocious act, a despicable act of violence against innocent civilians and we condemn it, but the response must be proportionate,” Golding said, adding that it must be tailored and targeted at the wrongdoers.
“We do not support what is happening in Gaza right now. Thousands of children are being killed in Israeli airstrikes and the condition of life with the blockade, no food and no water, is totally wrong.”
Golding continued his party’s criticism of the governing Jamaica Labour Party for its failure to participate in a vote at the United Nations General Assembly on a call for a “humanitarian truce” leading to the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas militants.
“For Jamaica not to have voted in support of the resolution is a very shameful day in our country,” Golding said. “As a Jamaican, I feel not only disappointed, but embarrassed that our country would take themselves away.”
Country has lost its way
Kamina Johnson Smith, minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade, since the outpouring of criticism after it was revealed that Jamaica had not voted on the resolution, has indicated that deliberations were still taking place when the vote was finalised.
However, Golding said he did not accept the explanation from the minister and accused the Jamaican delegation of deliberately not participating.
“They deliberately absent themselves from the UN General Assembly, so they didn’t have to vote for it, and this is an awful thing that has happened,” the opposition leader argued.
Golding said Jamaica has a long history of supporting movements that are fighting to manage their own affairs, and from his point of view, this would make Jamaica appear to be a country that has lost its way.
He suggested that the Government must do something to redeem Jamaica’s image abroad.
In the meantime, the opposition leader also criticised the Holness administration for its failure to re-engage in the PetroCaribe deal, which once existed with Venezuela, at a time when the United States (US) is formalising its relationship with the oil-rich nation.
Under the PetroCaribe programme, launched in 2005, member countries were allowed to purchase oil from Venezuela at market value, paying a percentage of the cost upfront and the remainder over a period of 25 years with an interest rate of one per cent.
Jamaica was unique in the sense that it established an arrangement called the PetroCaribe Development Fund.
Under this arrangement, Petrojam would pay Venezuela 50 per cent of the value of the oil and the other 50 per cent remitted to the fund.
The deal fell apart after Venezuelan oil production plummeted in mid-2010 and due to Jamaica’s inability to pay down on debt obligations because of US sanctions imposed on Venezuela.
Golding argued that Jamaica should revisit the agreement now that some changes in the relationship between the Nicolas Maduro regime and the US may signal a greater degree of engagement in the coming years.