On Thursday, May 29, Nicaragua’s National Assembly held a special session dedicated to the Palestinian Nakba, an event commemorated by the Palestinian people that marks the mass displacement of approximately 750,000 Palestinians during the Arab-Israeli war of May 1948, following the creation of the State of Israel.
The special session was attended by Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Valdrack Jaentschke; the Chargé d’Affaires of Palestine, Dina Alhalayqa; the Venezuelan Ambassador to Nicaragua, Javier Arrúe; the Iranian Ambassador, Ramin Banat-Kuqe; the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, along with other diplomats.
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During the session, a documentary was screened highlighting the human and geographic impact of the forced displacement of Palestinians 77 years ago.
All 91 lawmakers—members of the Sandinista Front or its allied satellite parties—participated in the event, waving Palestinian flags and holding signs in support of the Palestinian cause.
Some legislators wore a keffiyeh, the traditional white scarf with black patterns that is emblematic of Palestinian attire.
Condemnations of Israel
Sandinista lawmaker and Second Secretary of the National Assembly, Wilfredo Navarro, served as the main speaker. He addressed the historical event of the forced displacement of Palestinians and launched strong condemnations against Israel.
«Despite being expelled, the Palestinians hold onto hope—the hope of return. They have a symbol that represents this return: they took the keys to their homes with them, because those keys symbolize that they will come back, because Palestine belongs to the Palestinians, and that truth cannot be erased from the memory of the world. Those keys are a symbol of rebellion and resistance, and the day will come when they will expel the fascist Israelites and return to their homes,» Navarro declared.
The dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo—who control all branches of the state, including the National Assembly—has positioned itself as a vocal champion of the Palestinian cause. The regime regularly issues statements of solidarity and compels public-sector workers to participate in marches and other activities to express support for the Palestinians, particularly in the context of the current escalation of Israeli attacks on Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023.
The Sandinistas have historically supported Palestinian terrorist organizations that oppose Israel
Nicaragua severed diplomatic relations with Israel in October 2024 as an expression of support for Hamas and the Palestinian cause.
The Ortega dictatorship’s support for the Palestinian people has also extended to justifying the crimes committed by Hamas—a terrorist organization that carried out a massacre after breaching Israel’s border on October 7, 2023. That attack prompted Israel’s invasion of Gaza and plunged the region into a massive humanitarian crisis.
Ortega is also a close ally of Iran, which is engaged in an armed conflict with Israel and is Hamas’s principal sponsor.
Former member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine visited Nicaragua in 2024
In July 2024, Ortega welcomed to Nicaragua Leila Khaled, a veteran activist of the Palestinian liberation movement who is now in her eighties. Khaled has longstanding ties to the Sandinistas, and there are accounts that a Nicaraguan-American identifying as a Sandinista assisted her in the hijacking of an airplane in 1970.
Following her visit to Nicaragua last year, Khaled’s two children were granted Nicaraguan citizenship, further confirming her close ties to the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship.
