Nicaragua cuts ties with Israel following ‘war of extermination’

MANAGUA, Nicaragua – The Central American country Nicaragua is on the verge of severing diplomatic relations with Israel, calling the Israeli government “fascist” and committing crimes of “genocide.”

The government’s move is likely after Nicaragua’s National Assembly on Friday called on the Sandinista executive to review the country’s diplomatic relations with what it described as Israel’s Zionist government.

In a statement read by Parliament Speaker Gustavo Porras during an extraordinary session, the assembly condemned the “atrocities” committed against the Palestinian people, which now extend to Lebanon.

The statement described the Israeli attack on Gaza as “the most heinous atrocity of the 21st century and one of the worst in human history.”

“This systematic destruction, which began seventy-six years ago, has cost the lives, since October 2023, of more than forty-two thousand people, mainly women, children and the elderly; every day, these figures continue to rise. “increase,” the statement said.

“The brutality of the Israeli government reflects a clear stance of war of extermination, which constitutes crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and a deliberate policy of annihilation.”

“Despite this barbarity, the global oligarchy that dominates Western governments, the media and international organizations, supposedly defenders of human rights, hides the true dimension of the suffering and destruction of the Palestinian people,” the statement continued. .

The Nicaraguan Parliament’s statement accuses Israel, with the complicity and logistical and military support of the North American and European empires, of extending its barbarity throughout the Middle East, thereby endangering world peace and security.

Nicaragua’s move comes a year after attacks unleashed by Hamas on the heavily fortified border between Israel and Gaza, which led to the continued Israeli attack in the enclave. It also comes a month after Nicaragua was criticized for human rights violations in a UN report.

The Nicaraguan government has been denounced by the United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) for arbitrary arrests, mistreatment of detainees, attacks on indigenous peoples and intimidation of political opponents.

The report released in September said human rights violations in Nicaragua began in 2018, when university students and other civil society activists began protesting a new social security law and calling for the departure of the president.