Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kerrie Symmonds, the first defendant named in the Gaza genocide case brought against the State, has responded to the High Court’s decision to strike out the claim, describing it as “misconceived, frivolous and entirely without any legal basis”.
Speaking to Barbados TODAY following Tuesday’s ruling, Symmonds said: “Unfortunately, it also reflected an infantile lack of understanding about the capacity or jurisdiction of the Barbados courts in relation to the Gaza/Israel matter.”
He argued that Barbados, as a third country far removed from the scene of the actions in question, lacks the legal, administrative, and fact-finding tools necessary to determine whether war crimes or genocide have occurred.
“At an individual level, I believe what I am seeing on television is an injustice — a completely unacceptable and disproportionate abuse of the people in Gaza,” the minister said. “But neither I, nor the Government of Barbados, nor the courts of this island, have the capacity to make a factual determination on whether what we are seeing amounts to war crimes or genocide.”
Symmonds pointed out that genocide is specifically defined under the statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and, similarly, war crimes are major violations of international law with strict criteria — including the treatment of prisoners of war, protection of non-combatants, care for the wounded, and adherence to the Geneva Conventions.
“These are not loose terms to be idly bandied about,” he said. “They have legal meaning and carry legal consequences.”
He stressed that Barbados has no jurisdiction to gather evidence in such matters, which is why the government supports and relies on the ICC as the appropriate body to make such determinations.
Symmonds also criticised what he called a lack of understanding of Barbados’ foreign policy record, particularly at the United Nations.
“Barbados has been very active at the United Nations on this matter. We have voted in favour of every resolution at the United Nations supporting Palestinian statehood, UN membership and the like — not only since the outbreak of hostilities, but over the course of the last five years,” he noted.
He pointed to Barbados’ votes on two key UN General Assembly resolutions: one on September 18, 2024, and another on June 12, 2025, both seeking an advisory opinion on the legality of Israel’s occupation of Palestine. Symmonds further noted that on June 12 this year, Barbados also supported a resolution at the UN General Assembly calling for an urgent ceasefire and an end to the use of starvation as a weapon of war.
“It follows therefore, that it was inevitable that the court would dismiss the matter as an abuse of legal process and a waste of judicial time,” Symmonds concluded. (EJ)
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