How British promises of peace became legacies of conflict -- from the Middle East to Central America
The tragedy unfolding in Gaza today echoes Belize's own history of colonial betrayal. Both stories reveal a haunting pattern: the British Empire making grand promises, failing to deliver, and ultimately retreating -- leaving native peoples to grapple with the lasting consequences.
A world power promised peace and clear borders, then walked away, leaving unresolved territorial conflicts and enduring injustices for native peoples across two continents.
The violence in Gaza, which Palestinian health authorities estimate caused the death of over 60,000 people during the recent conflict, reflects a familiar pattern for Belizeans: British colonial powers creating border crises and leaving native peoples to face the consequences. Although a ceasefire has been implemented as of October 2025, and humanitarian aid is beginning to enter Gaza, the recent summit of world leaders in Egypt -- including U.S. president Donald Trump -- marked a historic attempt to consolidate that ceasefire and direct new aid toward rebuilding efforts. Even with these efforts, the devastation remains immense. Entire neighborhoods were reduced to rubble, hospitals and schools were destroyed, and access to basic necessities like water and medicine was severely restricted. The situation underscores the lasting human cost of historical negligence -- a pattern all too familiar in Belize's own struggle for sovereignty.
This reality is underscored by findings from a United Nations commission of enquiry, which concluded that acts of genocide occurred during the recent conflict in Gaza. This is not merely a regional conflict -- it is the legacy of a colonial power -- the British Empire -- that sowed seeds of division, signed promises it failed to honor, and then retreated, leaving native peoples to endure the fallout. The same pattern of broken promises that allowed the Guatemala dispute to persist also laid the groundwork for the suffering of the Palestinian people. To grasp the injustice in Gaza, Belizeans must see it reflected in our own struggle for sovereignty.
The human cost of this historical neglect is staggering. Tens of thousands were killed, and entire neighborhoods were reduced to rubble. Hospitals and schools were destroyed, and access to water and medicine was severely restricted. In January 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to prevent acts of genocide and allow life-saving aid into Gaza. This highlights the human toll of historical negligence -- a pattern reflected in Belize, where generations have faced the persistent threat to sovereignty, uncertainty, and social consequences stemming from colonial neglect.
The injustice in Palestine began with a single document: the Balfour Declaration of 1917. In this short statement, the British government promised to support "the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people." This promise was made to a minority, without consulting or protecting the rights of the Arab majority who had long lived there.
When Britain took control under the Mandate from 1920 to 1948, it facilitated Jewish immigration and land acquisition while suppressing Arab resistance. British forces crushed Palestinian revolts, even as Jewish paramilitary groups gained strength. These policies created the imbalance that defines the region's conflict to this day.
By 1947, unable to manage the violence it had helped create, Britain handed the problem to the United Nations. In May 1948, British forces withdrew without a clear plan for transition or peace. Their retreat triggered immediate war, the creation of Israel, and the mass exodus of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians -- the Nakba, or Catastrophe. Britain walked away from a land it had set alight.
Belize's own struggle for sovereignty follows a similar script -- this time with borders instead of a homeland. The roots of our dispute with Guatemala lie in the Anglo-Guatemalan Convention of 1859. In that treaty, Guatemala agreed to recognize the borders of British Honduras, and Britain undertook to help build a road from Guatemala City to the Caribbean coast. Guatemalan leaders have long argued that the road was the price of peace -- a claim that later governments used to question the treaty's validity when the road was never built.This disagreement, decades later, allowed Guatemala to declare the treaty null and void and revive its claim to Belizean territory.
As in Palestine, the British Empire eventually retreated. When Belize gained independence in 1981, Britain left without resolving the territorial dispute. Belize remained exposed to an aggressive neighbor and dependent on British troops for protection -- a visible reminder of the problem Britain created and never fully addressed. The dispute is now before the International Court of Justice, but the colonial roots remain clear.
The historical similarities are undeniable. In both Palestine and Belize, British colonial retreat followed a familiar pattern:
First came the broken promise. In Palestine, the Balfour Declaration offered land to a minority over the native majority. In Belize, the 1859 Convention included a clause about a road -- a clause that later became a source of dispute and misunderstanding between the parties.
Then came the failure to uphold law. In Palestine, Britain suppressed Arab resistance while its policies contributed to the growth of Zionist militias. In Belize, Britain's failure to follow through on agreed cooperation undermined the treaty and allowed the dispute to persist.
Finally came the irresponsible retreat. In 1948, Britain withdrew from Palestine without a transition plan, ensuring war and the Nakba. In 1981, Britain granted Belize independence without resolving Guatemala's claim, leaving a lasting threat.
The British were not mere bystanders; they were the architects of these problems. They created legal and political conditions for lasting conflict, secured their own interests, and left others to live with the consequences.
The fight for a secure, defined, and peaceful Belize is intrinsically linked to the fight for a secure, defined, and free Palestine. Our solidarity must be unwavering. Recognizing the colonial hand that shaped both of our histories is the first step toward justice for our Palestinian brothers and sisters -- and toward securing our own nation against the toxic legacies of colonial retreat.
We must not forget that the injustices in Gaza and the threats to Belize were built with the same colonial tools. Only by confronting this shared history can we hope to build a just and lasting peace for all.