MARRAKECH, Morocco
(Dispatches) – Group of 20 (G20) finance leaders made no mention of the conflict between the Zionist regime and Palestinian resistance movement in their communiqué on Friday, highlighting the deep divisions in the group since the war in Ukraine started last year.
The G20 finance leaders, meeting on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meeting in Marrakech, said they were deeply anguished by the loss of lives and destruction in natural disasters in Libya and Morocco, and said they stood in solidarity with the people there.
There was no reference to the conflict in Gaza, where the occupying regime’s military on Friday told more than 1 million people to relocate south as it amassed tanks for an expected ground invasion after Saturday’s surprise attack by Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.
More than 2,800 people have died in the conflict, which began just as G20 leaders began gathering in Marrakech.
The G20 communique said: “We note with deep concern the immense human suffering and the adverse impact of wars and conflicts around the world”.
It also mentioned the war in Ukraine and called for timely implementation of agreements on the movement of grains. It expressed deep concern about the adverse impact of conflicts on the security of civilians, mentioning no specific country.
Failure to mention the occupying regime’s violence and its potential impact on the global economy revealed deep divisions roiling the G20, said Eric LeCompte, executive director of Jubilee USA Network, a coalition of more than 750 religious groups and organizations.
He said it raised questions around the G20’s ability to make decisions. “What’s happening in Israel and Gaza is a horrific tragedy and if we can’t stand up for the protection of children, it shows how stalemated they are.”
The G20 has been deeply divided since the war on Ukraine in February 2022. It includes the United States, China and Russia, as well as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, Britain, the European Union, and more recently the African Union.