Ambassador King affirms SVG has long recognised Palestine

St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), is among the majority of independent Caribbean states which have recognized Palestine as an independent State. This was confirmed by SVG’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Rhonda King last weekend.

The issue of the official recognition of Palestine came up before the United Nations last week when the United States vetoed a resolution which would have given Palestine full membership. Currently Palestine enjoys only Observer status. St Vincent and the Grenadines has recognized Palestine since 2011 along with sister OECS States, Grenada, St Lucia, the Commonwealth of Dominica, and Antigua and Barbuda. Guyana was the first Caribbean state to recognize Palestine since 1975, while Suriname did so in 2011 as well.

At the time of the UN vote, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Haiti, St Kitts/Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago had not formally recognized Palestine. However, Jamaica has subsequently done so, and Barbados has announced its intention to formally recognize as well.