Nadene Goldfoot
Cuba has links to Hamas through political support and intelligence sharing, while Panama has no known connection to Hamas and maintains strong pro-Israel relations.
They are both said to be on Trumps radar for further take-overs for thesake of US security.
- Cuba has a decades-long history of supporting the Palestinian national movement and views the Palestinian struggle as an anti-colonial effort. The Cuban Foreign Ministry released a formal statement after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, blaming Israel and the U.S. for the violence and describing the massacre as a "consequence" of Israeli actions, while refusing to condemn the attacks themselves.
- Cuban officials have held meetings with high-ranking officials from Iran and Hamas. For example, a Hamas delegation publicly visited the Cuban ambassador in Lebanon in February 2023 which was after the gross slaughter by Palestinians, where the ambassador recognized the "legitimate right of the Palestinians to defend their land".
- Reports from sources such as the Center for a Free Cuba and U.S. congressional testimony allege that the Cuban intelligence service provides intelligence to Hamas and allows Hezbollah to maintain a base in Cuba.
- The Cuban government has organized large, official pro-Palestinian marches in Havana, some of which included banners of Hezbollah leaders, to express solidarity and protest Israel's military actions.
- Historical Context: Cuba has not had diplomatic relations with Israel since 1973. Historically, the Castro regime trained members of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in the 1970s and 1980s and has a history of promoting anti-Israel and allegedly antisemitic propaganda.
- State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation: The U.S. placed Cuba back on the SSOT list in 2021 (having previously been removed in 2015) due to its continued support for international terrorism, including its relationships with groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
- In March 1960, U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower gave his approval to a CIA plan to arm and train a group of Cuban refugees to overthrow the Castro government. Raúl Castro and U.S. President Barack Obama at their joint press conference in Havana, Cuba, 21 March 2016. As of December 2014, talks with Cuban officials and American officials, including President Barack Obama,Alan Gross, Jewish US Federal worker
resulted in the release of Alan Gross , age 76, held for 5 years , fifty-two political prisoners, and an unnamed non-citizen agent of the United States in return for the release of three Cuban agents currently imprisoned in the United States. (ratio of 54:3) - Raúl Castro stepped down from the presidency on 19 April 2018, and Miguel Díaz-Canel was elected president of the State Council by the National Assembly following parliamentary elections. Raúl Castro remained the First Secretary of the Communist Party and retained broad authority, including oversight over the president.
- On 12 January 2021, then-U.S. President Donald Trump added Cuba to the State Sponsors of Terrorism list, implementing a new series of economic sanctions on the country. The 2024–2025 Cuba blackouts were the most severe living crisis that the country has experienced since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. President Díaz-Canel blamed the blackout on the United States embargo against Cuba, which he said prevented much needed supplies and replacement parts from reaching Cuba.
- PANAMA
The United States cooperates with the Panamanian government in promoting economic, political, security, and social development through US and international agencies. Cultural ties between the two countries are strong, and many Panamanians go to the United States for higher education and advanced training.
Panama is the 96th most peaceful country in the world, according to the 2024 Global Peace Index.
It's past is something else. Since the end of Manuel Noriega's military dictatorship in 1989, Panama has completed five peaceful transfers of power to opposing political factions.
Noriega's mug shot after his surrender to U.S. forces in 1990. Beginning in the 1950s, Noriega worked with U.S. intelligence agencies, and became one of the Central Intelligence Agency's most valued intelligence sources. He also served as a conduit for illicit weapons, military equipment, and cash destined for U.S.-backed forces throughout Latin America..The political landscape is dominated by two major parties and various smaller parties, many of which are driven by individual leaders more than ideologies. Former president Martín Torrijos is the son of the general Omar Torrijos. He succeeded Mireya Moscoso, the widow of the former president Arnulfo Arias. Panama's most recent national elections took place on May 5, 2024.
