A week before handing over the presidency of the United States of America to Donald Trump, outgoing president, Joe Biden announced that the US would be removing Cuba from its state sponsors of terrorism (SSOT) list. The BBC said that “in return, Cuba announced it would release 553 prisoners”, and that the deal “was brokered by the Catholic Church.” Belize and CARICOM are pleased by the decision. A May 2024 release from the Government of Belize said the decision by the US to list Cuba as an SSOT was arbitrary, that there was no evidence that Cuba was involved in terrorist activities, and that placing the country on such a notorious list “caused and continues to cause much suffering to the Cuban people.” The Obama administration had taken Cuba off the SSOT list in 2015, but they were put back on it in the final days of the Trump 2017-2021 term.
In its May release last year, GoB called for the normalization of relations between our two friends, the US and Cuba, and stated once again that we “will continue, along with the member states of the Caribbean Community, to call for lifting the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the U.S. Government on Cuba and for the removal of Cuba from the SSOT list.” The US will earn the gratitude of Belize and CARICOM if it normalizes relations with our island neighbor.
More welcome news is that Israel has, or is set to cease hostilities in Gaza, at least temporarily, after bombarding Gaza almost daily since October 2023. On October 7, 2023, the militant group, Hamas, the most powerful political entity in Gaza, invaded Israel and brutally killed over a thousand Israelis and foreign nationals, most of them civilians, and took over 200 hostages. The Hamas militants, who insist that Israel occupies Palestinian territory, claimed they attacked Israel because of its repressive policies and its expansion and occupation of territory outside of Israel. The parties, Israel and Hamas, are yet to conclude the details of a permanent agreement to bring an end to the massacre in Gaza.
In the one-sided battle fought in Gaza, credible sources estimate that Israel’s army has killed over 45,000 Palestinians, wounded over a hundred thousand, and destroyed or damaged over a hundred thousand homes, schools, and hospitals. Today, Gaza is in ruins, its people dying from starvation and disease.
Some United Nations experts classify Israel’s war in Gaza as genocide. In mid-November 2023, Belize suspended diplomatic relations with Israel and called for an immediate ceasefire after Israel’s armed forces had killed over 11,000 Palestinians, thousands of them civilians, and had done massive damage to Gaza’s infrastructure. Israel took Belize’s decision to break diplomatic ties as an affront, and its unfortunate stance was supported by religious zealots in Belize who believe that human beings in the State of Israel can do no wrong.
The fact is that Belize is very friendly toward Israel, and has always been. In 1947 our former colonial rulers, the British, acting on a UN General Assembly decision, oversaw the establishment of the independent State of Israel in Palestine. Had Belizeans been asked if they approved of that decision, without a doubt they would have overwhelmingly said yes. Belizean soldiers gave their lives in the Second World War to help save the world from the Nazis who were murdering Jews in Germany.
A United Nations release said Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), “reacted to confirmation of the ceasefire and hostage deal, saying ‘many have been hoping for this moment for the past 15 months’ and that ‘this agreement will finally bring much needed respite for the people of Gaza and the release of hostages.’”
The people of Gaza have suffered terribly. Belizeans all over join the world in praying for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the release of hostages, and for immediate reparation for our Palestinian brothers and sisters.
By mid-March “Smokey the Bear” must be ready for the dry
Annually there are wildfires in the savannah areas of Belize as a result of lightning strikes or the careless disposal of cigarettes. Many wildfires begin when fire jumps over a fire pass froma farm where farmers slash the forest and burn it to prepare the land for the May/June planting season. We have experienced rather large blazes in the past. In the 1990s a pine beetle infestation killed a number of trees in pine ridge areas, and the fires that raged there didn’t die down until they encountered primary forest. Mainly, we have had big forest fires in years when we have had droughts.
Primary forest can “weather” regular dry seasons because big trees have deep roots which draw water from the ground all year round, and little scrub survive under their canopies. The dry and hot periods are more frequent now, and the dries on our planet are dryer than they were previously, the heat hotter than it was before. Those extremes have made our forests more vulnerable to fire. We now have a “fire” season that can be as costly as the hurricanes that have us on our toes during the rainy season, particularly in the months of September and October. Last year was one of the worst in memory for fires, with the forests in the west and south burning for weeks.
Our quality of life is very dependent on our forests. Speaking on his ministry’s efforts to prevent an infestation of screw worms, which could have severe negative impact on our livestock industry, Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Jose Mai noted that on the Guatemala side it is mostly cleared land, farms. Pictures show mostly pastures. The grass is green, and the cattle look fat. The ranches in that area of Guatemala are productive, because on our side of the border there is forest.
People who don’t have eyes to see, think the forest is just bush. Our neighbors would do well for themselves if they assisted Mr. Manzanero and his Friends for Conservation and Development in their efforts to stop the invasion of our forest by illegal loggers and ranchers. Our area of the world is not immune to desertification. If our forest reserves in the west and south fall to fire, or “development”, both surface and underground water will diminish. Lush pastures across the border will not be looking so good if the forest reserves in the Chiquibul and Columbia in Belize are also turned to grassland.
Climate change, weather extremes, is serious. In these dry, hot times in which we live, fresh water in the dry season is “gold”. There is little water without trees. Thus, forest is the real gold.
In a month’s time, the annual dry season begins, and a month after that, mid-March, the “fire” season will be upon us. Climatologists predict another very hot year. We have experienced the forest fires of last year. While those areas that went up in flames and smoke are not as vulnerable as they were last year, many areas will be tinder-dry, fodder for burning if the dry is long enough, and the heat is hot enough. In this age of climate change, “Smokey the Bear” can’t sleep late; he has to get to work early. By mid-March we should already have implemented our plan to prevent forest fires, and be at the ready until the rains come.