Statement by H.E. Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations, at meeting of the Security Council on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question”
Mr. President,
Guyana thanks Special Coordinator Wennesland for his briefing, on the ever worsening crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory. Another meeting on the Palestinian question, another list of statements calling for an end to this war. A sense of helplessness envelopes this small, elected member of the Council, in the face of the dehumanization of a people, disregard for the rule of law and impunity. When will it end? Who can make it end? And yet, we cannot afford to remain silent, as too many have already been tragically silenced, forever, in this war.
And so, at the outset, I express Guyana’s strong solidarity with the Palestinian people – a people with a rich history, a culture and a land. It is perhaps one of the greatest tragedies of modern times that the desire for their homeland has brought so much cruel suffering to the Palestinian people. A greater tragedy, though, is that the United Nations has not yet been able to bring this injustice to an end.
Mr. President,
It has been 76 years since the Palestinian people were forcibly displaced from much of their homeland, despite the United Nations General Assembly adopting a plan for the creation of an Arab and a Jewish state as the settlement of the Palestinian question. Force and displacement have characterized the Palestinian existence from that time to now, as they have experienced cycle after cycle of violence pushing them off their ever-shrinking homeland. Where they have been allowed to remain, their existence has been one most miserable owing to the iron fist of the occupying power that reaches into every sphere of Palestinian life.
Today marks 235 days of the latest cycle of violence and words are inadequate to capture the devastating results. The death toll has surpassed 36,000. More than 80,000 have been physically injured. Once the rubble in Gaza is cleared, the death toll is expected to climb. Against this backdrop of death and injury, the healthcare system has been severely incapacitated. Medical supplies, as with other humanitarian essentials, are extremely limited owing to the lack of humanitarian access at scale. The level of food insecurity has led to full-blown famine in the north.
The impact of the war on children is especially disturbing. Many of them have been killed, maimed and orphaned. The long-term psychosocial impacts on these children is a particular source of concern.
Mr. President,
It had seemed that the Gaza crisis could not get any worse until we learned of last Sunday’s events in Tal al-Sultan in Rafah where displaced Palestinians sheltering in tents were set on fire after Israeli airstrikes. People were injured and burned alive. And all of this in a designated safe zone. A chilling reminder that there is no safe place in Gaza. Guyana calls for a swift, independent and international investigation to establish the facts surrounding this incident, including to identify the perpetrators. We must not continue to accept the all too familiar explanations of these incidents being mistakes or miscalculations. There is no justification for the killing of innocent civilians and the Geneva Conventions of 1949 are clear on the obligation to protect civilians.
This leads me to emphasize the obligation of all parties to the conflict to adhere strictly to international law, including international humanitarian law. The ICJ has issued three sets of provisional measures but there is no compliance. Indeed, two days had not yet passed following the last order by the Court for Israel to halt military operations in Rafah, when the attack in Tal al-Sultan took place. The Council must seriously consider how to address this blatant disregard for the rule of law.
In this quagmire of illegalities, there are still more than 100 persons in Gaza taken hostage by Hamas from Israel on 7 October. They must be immediately and unconditionally released, and their welfare must be protected.
In light of the foregoing, Guyana makes three important calls.
First, we call, again, for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and for the removal of all obstacles that are contributing to the suffering of the Palestinian people. Unless the violence ends, the humanitarian situation will not improve, and the suffering will continue. A ceasefire is also one critical element for improving the security situation for humanitarian personnel to operate unimpeded.
Second, we call for the opening of all land routes into Gaza to improve the flow of humanitarian goods. The needs in Gaza are massive and the non-operation of several crossings has rendered the humanitarian response ineffective. The Rafah crossing must be re-opened. Unwieldy verification processes must be corrected, and Gaza must be flooded with humanitarian aid. Commercial activity must be fully resumed, even as we acknowledge that many have been pauperized by this war.
Third, Guyana demands serious long-term efforts towards achieving the two-state solution. The Palestinian people must exercise their inalienable right to self-determination, and it is the United Nations that must guarantee the exercise of that right. The majority of the organization’s membership has demonstrated its support for Palestinian self-determination and statehood, and it is therefore this Council’s responsibility to honour the wishes of the Palestinian people in this regard. This is also the most viable way to address many of the dimensions of the Palestinian question, including the unresolved refugee problem which necessitates a continued mandate for UNRWA.
Mr. President,
Guyana is prepared to work with this Council to accomplish peace for Palestinians and Israelis. Contrary to the strategy embraced by some, peace cannot come from violence and war. Neither can security be spawned from insecurity.
I thank you.
