The opposition in communist Cuba is speaking out and repudiating the Castro dictatorship’s support for the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas when it justified the savage and deadly attack on Israel. The opposition in Cuba rejects the terrorist groups that have found an ally in the Castro dictatorship, with many of these terrorists enjoying safe haven in Cuba as guests of the regime in Havana.
Via Martí Noticias (my translation):
Opposition groups reject Cuba’s justification for the attack on Israel
The massive aggression by Hamas against Israel and the lukewarm reaction, hours later, from the government in Havana to the attack, sparked the rejection of Cuban opposition organizations, who expressed their stance to Martí Noticias.
In a statement, the Council for Democratic Transition in Cuba (CTDC) “unequivocally” condemned “the terrible attack perpetrated by Hamas terrorists against Israel” and emphasized that there is no justification “for terrorist acts.”
“The Cuban government’s statement is, in fact, dangerous to its own narrative and story regarding terrorism practices. In fact, it once again violates its own Constitution, because the Cuban Constitution clearly condemns any form of terrorism,” stated Manuel Cuesta Morúa, one of the vice presidents of the platform that brings together more than two dozen groups from independent Cuban civil society.
The opposition figure pointed out that Cuba’s reaction to Hamas’ terrorist aggression has other implications.
“Justifying it or seeking historical justifications for present-day terrorism also opens up a dangerous path for its own policy, because the Cuban government would then accuse and be forced to retract its accusations against those who would justify these terrorist practices against the Cuban government due to 64 years of historical grievances,” he emphasized.
In a brief statement, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated the attack on the Israelis was a “consequence of 75 years of permanent violation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and the aggressive and expansionist policy of Israel.”
“At the same time, it reflects this double standard that the government uses in foreign policy. There seems to be a ‘good’ terrorism in which historical justifications and social injustices would explain the terrorist behavior of groups, and a ‘bad’ terrorism in which other social and political justifications would be condemnable. And no government that intends to participate, for example, in a tribunal like the Human Rights Council for almost 15 years, almost uninterrupted, should risk not issuing an unequivocal, unambiguous, and unqualified condemnation of terrorism, wherever it is practiced,” opined the CTDC executive.
“With this somewhat diffuse support and justification of Hamas’ attack on Israel, the Cuban government takes another step in inscribing its name, in marble letters, on the list of countries that sponsor terrorism,” he asserted.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, condemned the attack carried out by Hamas against different locations in Israel and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, urging “all diplomatic efforts to prevent a larger conflagration.”
At least 600 people died and 2,000 were injured, including high-ranking military officials, in Saturday’s attack, according to reports from the Reuters agency; while Israel’s response resulted in the deaths of about 313 people in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
“The Cuban regime issued a statement where, as usual, it blames Israel for the brutal aggression suffered by that country, and the United States for its support of Israel. This, despite the brutality of the attack, which had stealth, premeditation, with more than 5,000 missiles launched on cities and towns in the Hebrew state, and the taking of prisoners, hostages, including foreigners,” stated Germán González from Artemisa, spokesperson for the independent Cuban Commission for Electoral Defense (COCUDE).
Hamas released videos of its militants dragging bloodied soldiers on the ground and standing on corpses. González considered that, with its acquiescence to violent actions against Israel carried out to instill terror, the regime remains true to its tradition:
“The gerontocracy ruling today are the same ones who kidnapped American students in the Sierra Maestra, who placed Molotov cocktails in the busiest places to terrorize the population. In other words, they are terrorists by origin. After they took power, they provided funding, training, all kinds of cover to terrorists worldwide, including on U.S. territory. Always remember the famous ‘macheteros’ group and the asylum granted to renowned American terrorists on Cuban territory.”
“Recently, they granted asylum to the leadership of the National Liberation Army (ELN) of Colombia, after that same ELN leadership had organized the attack on the police school in Colombia with dozens dead and wounded. So, it’s a matter of terrorist inclination and alliance with all anti-democratic forces in the world. And if they are enemies of the United States, then, even more so, because the United States is the greatest democracy,” González concluded.