Latin America warns targeting Haniyeh could destabalise the region and the world

Communities in Latin America came together to denounce the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh earlier this week.

The Hamas chief had gained a following in the region, especially after his children and grandchildren were killed during Israel’s current bombing campaign in Gaza.

We take a look at what some of the leaders of the Global South said.

Brazil

The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released an official statement saying it “vehemently condemns” the assassination of Haniyeh.

Brazil, the ministry added, “repudiates the flagrant disrespect for Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, in clear violation of the principles of the United Nations Charter, and reaffirms that acts of violence, under any motivation, do not contribute to the search for lasting stability and peace in the Middle East.”

The assassination “further hinders the chances of a political solution to the conflict in Gaza by negatively impacting the talks that were taking place for a ceasefire,” it explained. A truce agreement is “essential”, it said.

Brazil’s Vice President, Geraldo Alckmin, also attended the Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s inauguration where he was seated only four seats away from Haniyeh just hours before the latter was killed.

Cerimonial da posse do presidente iraniano realmente colocou o pobre Alckmin em boa companhia.

À dir. do brasileiro:

Mohammad Abdul Salam (porta-voz Houthi)
Ziyad al-Nakhalah (chefe da Jihad Islâmica)
Sheikh Naim Qassem (vice-líder do Hezbollah)
Ismail Haniyeh (líder do Hamas) pic.twitter.com/jCyEgcIttt

— Jean-Philip Struck (@jeanstruck) July 31, 2024

Venezuela

The Venezuelan government said it considers Haniyeh’s assassination “a terrorist act against the number one of the political bureau of this organisation.”

In a statement, Caracas expressed “its deepest rejection of the terrorist attack” which it stressed “flagrantly violated Iran’s sovereignty” and “adds to the constant aggression that the Palestinian people are experiencing.”

The killing of Haniyeh, it added, “removes the possibility of achieving a prompt solution to the systematic genocide propagated by the terrorist state of Israel.”

Venezuela also “demands the cessation of all acts of intimidation and extermination towards the brave Palestinian people” and “reiterates once again its rejection of terrorism in all its forms and hopes for the extinction of this type of practice that subjects entire peoples to fear and violence.”

Cuba

In Cuba, the President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned Haniyeh’s assassination saying that it is an act that violates international law and further destabilises the Middle East.

Taking to X, he wrote: “Cuba firmly condemns the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, in clear violation of international law and further endangering the situation in the Middle East, regional peace and security.”

“My heartfelt condolences to the brotherly Palestinian people, family and friends of Ismail Haniyeh.”

Likewise, the head of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, Emilio Lozada, condemned the assassination and described it  as “brutal”, adding that it was a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty” of Iran, warning of the consequences of such a move.

#Cuba condena firmemente asesinato de Ismail Haniyeh en Teherán, en franca violación del Derecho Internacional y poniendo en peligro aún más la situación en Medio Oriente, la paz y seguridad internacionales.

Sentidas condolencias al hermano pueblo palestino, familia y allegados. pic.twitter.com/SKV9y8v0SK

— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) July 31, 2024

Nicaragua

Nicaragua condemned the “cowardly assassination” of Haniyeh, describing it as “one more act of interference, destabilisation and serious aggression against the already weakened and much-needed peace in the world.”

In a statement, Vice President Rosario Murillo said: “The government warns of the dangerous consequences that this new crime poses for the region and the world.”

“Our ongoing solidarity with the Palestinian families and people is well known, always fighting together to stop the brutality, savagery and sustained genocide against this heroic people,” the government said.

READ: Brazil: thousands demonstrate in Sao Paulo to support Palestine

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.