The Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupation gained new relevance on the international stage following the escalation that began on October 7. The brutality of the Israeli onslaught, practically without comparison with other previous aggressions, has exposed the cynicism of many of the great Western powers, vaunted defenders of “human rights”, but indolent in the face of the genocide that is being committed before their eyes for cold calculations of geopolitical interests.
The efforts of mainsteam media today are aimed at presenting the perpetrators as victims, demonizing the Palestinian resistance and making invisible or diminishing Israel’s actions. In this long conflict, it is fair to point out the beautiful story of solidarity between peoples, that a small Caribbean island has been writing for decades. Cuba, the “terrible and inhuman dictatorship” that the major corporate media cartels insist on depicting, has been and is one of the strongest defenders of the Palestinian people.
Fidel and the Palestinian cause
Although the Cuban Revolution from an early date showed its solidarity with the Palestinian people, the figure of Fidel, his understanding of the Arab world and the relationships he forged with the key leaders and resistance movements in that geographical area were key. Of particular relevance is his relationship with Yasser Arafat, historic leader of the Palestinian resistance.
On October 12, 1979, in his capacity as president of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Fidel spoke emphatically about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with words that are still relevant today:
“From the bottom of our souls, we repudiate with all our strength the ruthless persecution and genocide that Nazism unleashed against the Jewish people in their time. But I cannot remember anything more similar in our contemporary history than the eviction, persecution and genocide carried out today by imperialism and Zionism against the Palestinian people.”
Fidel Castro with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in Cuba in December 1974 (Photo: The Arafat Foundation)
In 1982, in dialogue with the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Fidel communicated Cuba’s decision to receive 500 Palestinian children to carry out their studies in the Antillean nation. This marks the beginning of a collaboration that over the years has graduated thousands of Palestinians in medicine, engineering, and other professions that are fundamental to the development of their communities. Even today, hundreds of young Palestinians study in various Cuban universities with scholarships provided by the Cuban government.
Fidel also exposed the Palestinian situation in numerous international forums throughout his extensive political work. And once retired, he continued to closely follow the reality in the area. Proof of the indignation caused by the impunity of the Israeli genocide is a text published on August 6, 2014 in his usual opinion column in the Granma newspaper, under the title: “Palestinian Holocaust in Gaza.”
The current conflict
The violence unleashed on October 7 has taken a chilling toll on Palestinian lives. More than 25,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel, of them more than 10,000 are children, and the numbers continue to rise. Numerous international organizations have condemned the attacks on hospitals, schools, residential buildings, mosques and the illegal use of white phosphorus against civilians. In a recent letter, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres denounced that more than 80% of the population of Gaza has been displaced.
Since the beginning of this new escalation, Cuba has maintained a position consistent with its historic policy of support for the Palestinian people and a peaceful solution to the conflict. Just to mention a few actions, the island promoted and voted in favor of the resolution “The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.” Cuba has supported, as a member of the NAM, the bloc’s position before the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, denouncing the possible use by Israel of prohibited weapons. Cuba has also participated in the numerous international forums convened, including several extraordinary sessions of the UN General Assembly, demanding a ceasefire and vindicating the rights of the Palestinian people.
On November 17, the President of the Republic and First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, held a meeting with 144 young Palestinians studying in Cuba. In dialogue with them, he ratified the country’s firm position on the side of the Palestinian cause. On November 23, a massive solidarity march was called along the Havana malecon, where tens of thousands of Cubans expressed their solidarity and rejection not only of Israeli policy, but also of Washington’s imperialist policy in the region.
Given the new resolution approved this December 13 by an absolute majority in the UN General Assembly, the Cuban president spoke out on social networks with complete firmness:
“The genocide carried out by Israel against the Palestinian people, with the complicity of the US, must stop now. It is urgent to address the demand of this new UNGA resolution to immediately stop the barbarity in Gaza. We demand peace for Palestine.”
José Ernesto Novaez Guerrero is a writer, journalist, and researcher from Santa Clara, Cuba. He coordinates the Cuban chapter of the Network of Intellectuals and Artists in Defense of Humanity and he works with several publications inside and outside the island.
