Wearing a keffiyeh to signal her solidarity with Palestinians, Mariela Castro participated in a meeting at the University of Havana between Cuban political figures and members of the Palestinian embassy to discuss the situation of the Palestinian people and condemn “the Zionist attacks.” Although a delegate to the National Assembly of the People’s Power, the Castro princess claimed she was not speaking for the Cuban government but as a “citizen of the world.”
In video from the meeting posted on social media, she says that “the intifada has a symbolic value in the Palestinian resistance, but by now one cannot confront imperialism with rocks or words or via diplomatic channels… I think situations like this one require more acute and much more radical pressures.” It is impossible to miss the echo of recent statements by the daughter of Che Guevara calling on all Arab countries to join the fight against Israel.
In fact, Aleida Guevara was also present at this meeting and also spoke, agreeing with what Mariela said. Having previously offered her services as a (retired) pediatrician to the people of Gaza, she now boasted she was also “a pretty good shot” with military school training, and that she could serve in both capacities without any problem. Whether she would prove any more effective than her father did in Africa and Bolivia would have to be seen.
It appears certain neither woman is speaking casually or independently but as authorized spokespersons for the ruling regime, which they clearly represent. Mariela Castro, especially, is not going to say anything publicly that daddy would not approve, even if Aleida Guevara can get away with more florid showboating in keeping with Che’s guerrilla fighter persona. In a related move, Cuba’s president (or designated dictator) has spoken on X of “the holocaust perpetrated by Israel” in Gaza, and calls Palestinians “victims of the most grave violations of human rights.” It all fits.
So, if Cuban ruling class matrons will call for escalation of the war against Israel, even going so far as offering to kill Israelis personally, what would they not call for against their own people if Cubans rose up against Castro rule? That is, of course, a rhetorical question to which we all know the answer. Alas, poor Cuba, how low you have fallen.
P.S. Not to be outdone by women with better “revolutionary” pedigrees, Lis Cuesta, Cuba’s First Wife, has gone on social media to call Israelis “asesinos de mierda,” which I will not bother to translate. The words speak for themselves.
Generally speaking, the response of Cuba’s totalitarian dictatorship to the current Middle East crisis, while predictable enough, seems excessively vehement, as in overdone–almost as if Cuba were an Islamic state. Ordinary Cubans, of course, are much too caught up in day-to-day survival or trying to leave Cuba to be significantly interested in the matter, meaning the official state position does not reflect popular sentiment.
Obviously, the regime is acting this way because it has reasons to do so, which may include hoping for material support from the Arab world and deflecting attention away from Cuba’s disastrous domestic situation. There is also the old tendency to act like a major player at an international level, which may have some basis in Latrine countries but not so far afield. In any case, the regime is showing its true colors.