Many Belizeans are eagerly tuned in to the latest “yerri so” and whatever social media has to offer, but in times like these we do need to pay more attention to what is taking place on the international scene, in order to be better prepared when our own time in the spotlight arrives.

Some Belizean citizens, especially those with a soft spot for the nation of Israel because of their adherence to the teachings of the Christian Bible, specifically the Old Testament, where the Jews are declared to be God’s “chosen people”, were very skeptical and even vehemently in disagreement with the government of Prime Minister John Briceño for taking a stand along with many other nations in condemning the months-long massacre of the “occupied” Palestinian people in Gaza in response to the violent attack on October 7, 2023, by the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, which killed over 1,200 Israeli residents and took about 250 hostage. Besides having some prominent politicians with Palestinian ancestry, Belize is one of the few countries on the planet that currently endure an egregious territorial claim by a much bigger and more militarily powerful neighbor. To some, it was felt that Belize was stepping into “deep waters” unnecessarily when our PUP government took the strong step of severing diplomatic relations with Israel, a relationship which had been initiated by a previous UDP government. But the action received much support from other quarters of our citizenry, considering that Israel was a staunch long-time ally of the oligarchy in Guatemala and had also voted against our independence

When “the ICJ announced that on 30January 2025, Belize submitted an application” (newscentral.africa) to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the ICJ along with “several other countries, including Nicaragua, Colombia, Cuba, Libya, Mexico, Palestine, Spain, and Turkiye”, it again caused some nervousness for that faction of Belizeans who are wary of Belize being in the spotlight when a contentious situation may be brewing among much bigger and more powerful nations. To them, that is “big people business,” and we should try to remain “in the shadows” as much as possible. Further, they say it is enough that, on a matter of principle, Belize has not shied away from its moral obligation to cast our vote at the U.N. General Assembly in support of resolutions in favor of the people of Palestine and the people of Ukraine, both of whom, like Belizeans, are facing a major obstacle to their sovereignty and territorial integrity by a much bigger neighbor.         

 At the start of last week, there were some earthshaking developments on the international stage, where for the first time the USA had voted along with Russia and against a resolution backed by members of the European Union condemning the action of Russia in invading Ukraine; and it wasn’t long afterwards that P.M. Briceño revealed that Belize had decided to withdraw its name from that list of sponsors of South Africa’s case against Israel. In response to a question from local reporters on this move, P.M. Briceño was quick to point out that our votes at the U.N. in favor of Palestine and Ukraine remain as before; Belize, a tiny nation in comparison to the others leading the charge, was just stepping back from the limelight, he said. However, the timing of the move is noteworthy. Israel is a major “iron clad” ally of the US, which has supplied it with weapons and artillery in its “war” against Hamas in Gaza, where over 47,000 Palestinians have been killed, some 70% of whom are reportedly women and children. Was Belize’s move intended to appease the U.S.?  P.M. Briceño has insisted that Belize will continue to vote along with Palestine and Ukraine in resolutions put forward at the U.N. against Israel and Russia, respectively. 

The international waters are quite turbulent and muddy right now, and perhaps our P.M. is minded to exercise an extra measure of caution at this time. Considering what has just transpired at the U.N. with the Ukraine-Russia situation, he cannot be faulted for his decision, and there has been no backlash from Belizeans on his report. It would likely not have been so quiet, however, if Belize had forgotten all our principles and the reality of our own position, and followed the U.S. in casting our vote in favor of Russia, as the U.S. did this time, and against the nation of Ukraine; and it would certainly meet with loud condemnation should Belize change its vote and begin supporting Israel in its genocide against the Palestinian people.

The crisis facing the people of Ukraine is real, following Russia’s invasion of its territory in February of 2022. With military assistance from the U.S. under President Joe Biden these past three years, Ukraine has been holding on in its battle against Russia, which has already occupied a part of its territory. Now, new U.S. president Donald Trump is talking peace and touting his penchant for deal-making, after having cultivated a personal friendship with Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin for some years. After surviving many U.S. sanctions under President Biden, and being accused of war crimes by the ICC, Putin has nonetheless maintained high popularity among Russians, and Trump has been discussing possibilities of peace with both Russia and Ukraine.

We cannot get into all the details of that situation here.  But, as a result of what played out on the world stage via live international television coverage these past few days, Belizeans are all getting a peek into the realities of power and politics in the international arena, as they saw a contentious discussion take place in the U.S. Oval Office between President Trump and his vice-president J.D. Vance on one hand, and the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on the other.          

What we would draw attention to in this context, is the meaning of “sovereignty” and “integrity” where a nation of people is concerned. Zelenskyy represents a people who are determined to remain an independent nation. The great USA has the military might to help Ukraine, whose soils are blessed with massive deposits of “rare earth minerals” reportedly valued in the trillions of dollars. Russia already forcefully occupies parts of Ukraine that contain some of these minerals. As one Republican politician has said, it is all about money. Trump is looking to deal with either Russia or Ukraine, or both, in order to gain access to those vital minerals for America. Trump was reportedly pressuring Zelenskyy to sign off on a secret deal, but according to a British newspaper, The Telegraph, a leaked draft of the deal shows what would “amount to the US economic colonization of Ukraine, in legal perpetuity”.

Zelenskyy was obviously “between a rock and a hard place”: Russian military aggression, and Trump with a “sell out” deal on Ukraine’s vast mineral wealth. The deal had not yet been signed when Trump and his team brought Zelenskyy in front of the cameras in the Oval Office. The great deal maker and aspiring Nobel Prize recipient, Trump managed to touch a nerve in Zelenskyy that aggravated and rattled the pride and integrity of his people. If Trump refused to put it in black and white on the deal they would sign, Zelenskyy felt it within his right to hear the US president publicly voice a commitment to the defence of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.  And he stood his ground.

The saga continues, and a deal involving some sort of security guarantee may still be signed, also involving members of the European Union. On the home front, Belizeans should be all eyes and ears, especially our leaders, to learn as much as we can from this situation, to better prepare ourselves to face our own challenges ahead in protecting our Jewel, which is also blessed “with wealth untold”.