This is how Israeli soldiers treat a Palestinian child. Photo taken from TeleSur

By Guillermo Alvarado

The U.S. State Department recently published the list of governments invited to the Virtual Summit on Democracy, Human Rights and Counterterrorism, convened by President Joseph Biden for December 9 and 10.

Reviewing the list of allies and servants who will have access to the event, one discovers the presence of countries that are really going to have a hard time proving that they are, in fact, a democracy, and there are also notable absences that reveal the discriminatory nature of the event.

Among the former, I would like to mention Israel, a State that lacks a Constitution, establishes different categories of citizens, militarily occupies the neighboring West Bank, where it steals land from Palestinian families to build Jewish settlements, and blockades the Gaza Strip by air, sea and land.

It is incredible that the White House has never imposed sanctions on Tel Aviv, where a child can be sent to jail without a court order, kept there without charge, trial or conviction, or killed at the mere whim of the Zionist military.

Another country that will have a hard time talking about democracy, human rights and terrorism is Colombia, the world's leading producer and exporter of drugs.

Five years ago peace agreements were signed in the South American nation, but it is not a festive anniversary but a date of mourning.

At least 1,270 social leaders and 299 ex-combatants were murdered during this period before the impassive eyes of the government, crimes to which must be added the forced displacement of 250,000 people in 50 municipalities, either by terrorist groups linked to drug trafficking or by landowners.

It will be interesting to see what Mr. Iván Duque will talk about in that meeting, but we suggest that you write this information in your agenda for the day.

On the side of those not invited are China, Russia, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia, among others, which is no coincidence. Biden does not want to disregard the chorus he has been organizing for months.

It is curious that Bolivia, which could explain to the rest of the guests how to recover a democracy that had been ruined by a coup d'état in whose organization the United States had a great deal to do, through its Ministry of Colonies, the OAS, was not invited.

Libya, which the Pentagon and NATO almost sent back to the Middle Ages when it was the most prosperous and peaceful country in North Africa, but whose democracy the White House did not like, will not be present either.

A total of 111 governments, including the host, will hear many speeches those two days, but very few truths.