Statement by Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett at the 9531st meeting of the United Nations Security Council on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question”
Thank you, Mr. President, and I express my appreciation to Under-Secretary-General Martin Griffiths and Assistant Secretary-General Ilze Brands Kehris for their sobering and informative briefing.
Mr. President,
Guyana is deeply concerned about the forced displacement of the population in Gaza since 7 October. We take note that many Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced multiple times within the territory. We are now alarmed at the statements emanating from certain officials suggesting that the Palestinian people in Gaza should be forcibly transferred out of the territory to countries in the region and elsewhere. Guyana rejects these proposals and calls on this Council to do all within its power to protect the Palestinian population in Gaza from such a plight, reminiscent of 1948. We must condemn in no uncertain terms these and all other suggestions which purport to violate international law, sending a strong message to the authors of these suggestions that they cannot carry out such actions unopposed.
Mr. President,
The displacement of the population in Gaza is distressing to Guyana on two fronts. First, the circumstances under which people have been uprooted from their homes and livelihoods have created a catastrophic humanitarian situation involving disease, destruction, danger and death. Palestinian men, women and children have been herded into smaller and smaller spaces in the Gaza Strip, and forced to eke out an existence in the most inhumane conditions and without an adequate supply of food, water, medicine, fuel and other basic items essential for survival. Social services, including the delivery of quality education and healthcare, have been severely disrupted. Women are unable to give birth – a most sacred experience – in a safe environment. There is acute food insecurity sparking legitimate concerns about mass starvation and death, as famine looms. As if these conditions were not bad enough, these displaced persons live with the constant threat of bombs and bullets destroying or maiming them and their loved ones.
Mr. President,
The second element of concern to Guyana, particularly if there are mass forced transfers outside of Gaza, relates to the implications for the two-state solution. The prospects for a Palestinian state cannot be divorced from the necessity of the Palestinian people inhabiting the territory that pertains to them. Forcibly removing Palestinians from Gaza undermines these prospects, and coupled with an expanding settler policy in the West Bank, leaves no doubt about the likely fate of the two-state solution. In this context, Guyana underscores the importance of advancing implementation of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 1397 (2002) and other relevant resolutions for realization of the two-state solution.
Mr. President,
We must tackle these issues frontally. Guyana was encouraged by the earlier public assurances from the Israeli Government that it has no intention of displacing the civilian population of Gaza but pronouncements by some Israeli officials give reason for worry. Israeli actions must now be in tandem with the earlier assurances. The first and most critical step at this stage, Mr. President, is a cessation of all hostilities – an immediate ceasefire. Outside of this, displacement will continue because people will have to keep moving in the hope of finding safety somewhere in the hell that is Gaza right now.
Mr. President,
Guyana wants to partner with this Council and the international community to end the indignity that the people of Gaza are enduring. We are prepared to work hard with everyone to end this war and to rebuild and reconstruct lives. Most importantly, we are prepared, as we have always been, to work with everyone to find the path to advance the two-state solution. Palestinians and Israelis alike deserve lasting peace and security.
I thank you.
