Belize Receives Palestinian Ambassador Amid Controversy Over Gaza Conflict

Last week, Belize welcomed seven new ambassadors, including the new Palestinian Ambassador, who presented her credentials to Governor General Dame Froyla Tzalam. Belize has long supported Palestine, backing a UN resolution calling for steps toward an independent Palestinian state. However, global opinion remains divided. At the UN’s General Assembly, U.S. President Donald Trump argued that recognizing Palestine rewards the militant group Hamas, citing its attack on Israel two years ago. Meanwhile, many world leaders have described the current conflict in Gaza as genocide against the Palestinian people. The arrival of the Palestinian ambassador reaffirms Belize’s support, even as the issue remains a divisive one on the global stage.

 

Donald Trump, President, United States of America

“Unfortunately, Hamas has repeatedly rejected reasonable offers to make peace. We can’t forget October 7th, can we? Now, as if to encourage continued conflict, some of this body is seeking to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. The rewards would be too great for Hamas terrorists for their atrocities. This would be a reward for these horrible atrocities, including October 7th, even while they refuse to release the hostages or accept a ceasefire. Instead of giving to Hamas and giving so much because they’ve taken so much. They have taken so much. This could have been solved so long ago. But instead of giving in to Hamas’s ransom demands, those who want peace should be united with one message: Release the hostages now. Just release the hostages now… We have to negotiate, immediately have to negotiate peace. We’ve got to get the hostages back. We want all 20 back. We don’t want two and four. As you know, I got, along with Steve Witkoff and others that helped us, Marco Rubio, we got most of them back. We were involved in all of them. But I always said, the last 20 are going to be the hardest, and that’s exactly what happened.”