By Staff Editor
(Jamaica Gleaner) Protesters gathered outside the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James yesterday afternoon, calling for regional leaders attending the 49th CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting to sever diplomatic ties with Israel over its ongoing military campaign in Gaza.
The peaceful demonstration, organised by members of the Palestinian Solidarity Action Group in Jamaica and the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, took place just ahead of the summit鈥檚 opening ceremony.
鈥淲e are here to ask CARICOM to cut all diplomatic ties with Israel,鈥 said Howard Simpson, a member of the local solidarity group.
鈥淲e want to see an end to the genocide in Gaza and the war crimes taking place in Palestine.鈥
Simpson said the group has not had formal discussions with government officials but has sent letters to CARICOM prime ministers and ministers of foreign affairs.
鈥淪ome of those letters are also available to the public,鈥 he told The Gleaner.
Maren Mantovani, from the BDS National Committee, said CARICOM countries must take a stand.
鈥淢uch of the military equipment shipped to Israel is moving under Caribbean flags. This must stop,鈥 she asserted.
鈥淚sraeli soldiers are vacationing in the Caribbean before returning to the killing fields. The region must not be a safe haven for war criminals.鈥
She outlined three demands: stop military shipping under Caribbean flags, end visa-free travel for Israeli citizens, and cut diplomatic ties while joining international sanctions efforts.
鈥淲e鈥檙e asking CARICOM to take a stand, just as it did against South African apartheid,鈥 Mantovani said.
The protest remained peaceful under the watchful eyes of members of the security forces as leaders from across the region arrived for the high-level talks.