Statement delivered by Ambassador Trishala Persaud, Deputy Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations, during Security Council Meeting on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question”
Mr. President,
Let me begin by thanking the delegations of Switzerland and the United Kingdom for requesting this timely briefing. I also thank Acting USG Msuya and WHO’s Deputy Director General, Dr. Ryan for their critical updates on the situation in Gaza.
As illustrated again by our briefers, the humanitarian situation in Gaza becomes increasingly catastrophic with each passing day, engendered by a man-made crisis of unprecedented proportions.
The violations of the occupying power continuously reach new levels in the face of this Council’s inaction to stop this trampling of everything that the United Nations was built to achieve. History will judge us harshly if this Council does not act to save the Palestinian people, from the scourge of this unending onslaught in flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter and international law.
Guyana, therefore, appeals to fellow Council members for us to act collectively and urgently to bring a swift end to the hostilities in Gaza and to halt the toll of death and destruction.
We remain deeply distressed by the conditions under which humanitarian actors, including UN personnel, are operating in Gaza. The statement issued on Tuesday by the UN Department of Safety and Security sets out some of the challenges associated with the UN’s aid operations in Gaza, noting that the organization is “operating at the uppermost periphery of tolerable risk.”
This was evident in the IDF’s shooting of a marked and deconflicted WFP vehicle on Tuesday evening. Broadly speaking, it is the wanton disregard for, and violations of, international humanitarian law that allow these “incidents” to continue.
We have also taken note of how the constant evacuation orders – sometimes with very little notice – are affecting humanitarian operations, including by shrinking the spaces both in which they operate and in which civilians dwell. On this latter point, Guyana notes, for example, that prior to 7th October 2023, there were 1200 persons per square kilometer in Gaza, and that that number has currently risen to 30,000 to 40,000.
One consequence of these constant evacuations and shrinking space for civilians is that people have been forced to endure living conditions that are giving rise to disease. For example, polio has re-emerged in Gaza after 25 years. The WHO’s collaborative efforts to vaccinate Gaza’s children against this disease should be allowed to take its course in the interest of children throughout the region.
As Mr. Philippe Lazzarini reminded us recently, polio will not distinguish between Palestinian and Israeli children. Delaying a humanitarian pause will only increase the risk of it spreading.
Mr. President,
We cannot ignore the worrying developments in the West Bank. We have taken careful note of OCHA’s report of “wide-scale Israeli operations involving helicopters, drones, and ground forces in [some] governorates” in the West Bank. The actions of the Israeli security forces patently undermine the quest for a two-state solution, contrary to resolutions adopted by this Council and the General Assembly and aggravate the risks to peace and stability in the region.
These actions contravene the Advisory Opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in which the Court pronounced on the illegality of the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory and on how this occupation undermines and imperils the two-state solution.
Against this backdrop, Guyana reiterates four appeals.
First, we call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Since its first days, the incessant bombing campaign has exceeded anything that could be considered a proportional response. What we are witnessing instead is an unprecedented and unrelenting war on innocent civilians.
The urgency of reaching a ceasefire deal now cannot be overemphasized. On 10th June 2024, this Council endorsed a three-phase ceasefire proposal with the expectation that the parties would have shortly thereafter agreed to the proposal. With nothing forthcoming more than ten weeks later, this Council must seriously consider how it could ensure an immediate ceasefire in the context of its own responsibility to protect innocent civilians from genocide.
Second, Guyana calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages taken captive on 7th October and of all Palestinians detained in Israeli jails without charge, and some for years. Simultaneously, we call on the relevant parties to treat all hostages and detainees with dignity and respect.
Third, Guyana stresses the critical need for adequate humanitarian access into Gaza. The civilian population is being crushed under the tremendous weight of needs existing in Gaza while essential supplies, including food and medicine, are sitting in trucks outside of Gaza wasting away owing to restrictions on access. We therefore call on the Israeli Government to prioritize the well-being of civilians in Gaza – not as some measure of goodwill but as a legal and moral imperative.
Finally, Mr. President, Guyana underscores that justice and accountability are integral elements of any “day after” discussions. The desire for justice is innate in every human being and there must be accountability for the injustice experienced by every Palestinian not just since 7th October but also in the decades preceding. A strong message must be sent to all violators of international law that their actions would not be clothed in impunity.
I conclude by urging every one of us around this table to consider how we can individually and collectively pave the path to peace for Palestinians and Israelis, and for the entire Middle East whose civilians continue to be caught up in the throes of a war neither of their making nor choosing.
I thank you, Mr. President.
