Dominica’s Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, has proposed the potential resettlement of several hundred Palestinian refugees in the country, conditional on support from international partners.
Addressing Parliament this week, Skerrit stated that the government intends to engage with the governments of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as well as the United States, to assess the viability of the initiative.
“We will be working to engage with the governments of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE with a view to potentially allowing the resettlement of a couple of hundred Palestinians into Dominica,” he said.
Skerrit clarified that the initiative is contingent on financial backing from these countries, particularly for infrastructure support. Discussions with the United States are also expected to be part of this endeavour.
Emphasising the potential advantages of the move, the Prime Minister noted that Palestinian professionals could contribute to addressing skills shortages in Dominica.
“There are highly skilled individuals in Palestine—top-class doctors, top-class engineers—who we believe can assist us in our efforts towards growing the economy and filling the gaps where we have skills deficiencies,” he stated.
