On April 5, Ecuadorian police stormed the Mexican Embassy in Quito and dragged former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas out and into custody, in the process roughing up numerous Mexican Embassy workers.
Glas had been granted sanctuary in preparation for being granted asylum after he had been convicted of corruption in what many view as a politically-motivated trial. He had endorsed the losing candidate for the presidency.
The outraged Mexican government claims Glas had been “kidnapped.”
According to Roberto Canseco, head of chancellery and policy affairs at the embassy, “what you have just seen is an outrage against international law and the inviolability of the Mexican Embassy in Ecuador.”
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López protested: “This is a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico, which is why I have instructed our chancellor to issue a statement regarding this authoritarian act, proceed legally, and immediately declare the suspension of diplomatic relations with the government of Ecuador,”
While Mexico was preparing a case for the International Criminal Court in The Hague and later called for Ecuador’s expulsion from the United Nations, other condemnations emerged.
Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, said, “The international community cannot allow this to happen.” He claimed the “very serious crime” threatened, “the security of embassies and diplomats throughout the world.”
Finally, on April 9, the U.S. condemned the Ecuadorian invasion of Mexico’s embassy. U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan said: “The Ecuadorian government disregarded its obligations under international law as a host state to respect the inviolability of diplomatic missions and jeopardizes the foundation of basic diplomatic norms and relationships.”
Countries’ embassies and consulates are considered part of their native country’s soil. The attack on Mexico’s embassy was tantamount to shelling Vera Cruz. The world community knows that some embassies house spies, assassins, murders and other unsavory types. But, embassies are subject to the laws of their home countries, not those of the nations in which they are located.
On April 1, Israeli bombs destroyed the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria – a pinpoint attack that reduced the building to rubble while sparing those on either side of it. Twelve Iranians, including two generals, were killed in the assault.
The “inviolability of diplomatic missions?” I guess it depends upon the perpetrator.
When Ayatollah Ali Khameni, Iran’s supreme leader, promised to retaliate for this assault on Iran’s sovereignty, President Joe Biden promised “ironclad” support to the Israelis who initiated this escalation of the open warfare in Gaza.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Isaac Katz had already posted on X in Farsi and Hebrew, “If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will respond and attack in Iran.” Yes, he ignored the fact that Israel had already attacked Iranian territory.
So, Israel attacks Iranian sovereign soil and kills Iranian citizens. Those responsible had to be cognizant of the inevitability of repercussions. To spin such a response as an unprovoked attack on Israel defies logic.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is playing Americans for suckers, counting on our continued support to gloss over this latest example of Israeli aggression. So much for President Biden “getting tough” with Netanyahu about opening more humanitarian aid routes into Gaza.
Now we find our president saying, “We’re going to do all we can to protect Israel’s security.”
And, our hypocrisy regarding the sanctity of foreign embassies puts our own embassies and personnel at risk as well. Diplomats around the world have been put on high alert.
Over the weekend Iran launched drones and missiles toward Israel. Israel and U.S. forces shot them down. And, again Israel promised to strike Iran. Again!
Thus, we have become involved in a fight not our own. We have chosen to become legitimate targets of retribution by supporting an illegitimate attack on another country.
One NBC headline said our government was “concerned Israel will respond to Iran without thought to potential fallout.” The Israelis have been planning for wider fallout, planning to drag us into the fray since they decided to bomb the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
This should not be our fight. As the country whose embassy in Tehran was invaded in 1979, who had more than 50 American citizens held captive and tortured for 444 days, one might think our sympathies should reside with the country whose sovereignty was violated.
We support Mexico’s outrage. The attack on Iran was more egregious. We should be supporting international law, not the lawbreakers.