Statement by Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, at United Nations Security Council meeting on “Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question”
I thank Special Coordinator Wennesland and Secretary-General Lockyear for their sobering briefings in which they presented the grim realities on the ground. I thank you, Mr. Lockyear for your frankness even in the face of possible reprisals. We also offer condolences on the loss of the lives of your colleagues and we salute the bravery of those who continue to operate bringing service to Gaza in these very trying times.
Guyana is deeply, deeply disturbed that this Council has been unable to unite to secure relief for the Palestinian people from a war relentless in scope and scale and which has driven the population of Gaza to unprecedented levels of desperation and loss. The blatant disregard for international law, including for obligations stemming from international instruments to which the occupying power is party, is wholly unacceptable. Equally unacceptable is the manner in which words have been toyed with on this Council, to deny the Palestinian what they so desperately need at this time – a ceasefire. And all of this amidst growing international outrage over the paralysis of the Council to deliver fully on its mandate.
Palestinians in Gaza have been pushed from the north to the very south of the Strip, forcibly displaced many times over, killed and injured in the process, and with no means of escape. They have now been cornered in Rafah faced with the impossible choice of a forced transfer outside of Gaza or becoming the targets of the instruments of war. The Council has to stand up now for Gaza.
Colleagues, we know the conditions in Gaza, we have heard more about this, this morning. We know that the population is starving and suffering in the cold. We know how women and children are disproportionately affected by this senseless war. We know that the healthcare system has broken down with essential medical supplies not allowed in at scale and hospitals the targets of military operations. Humanitarian supplies into Gaza are subject to slow and stringent verification processes, with only a trickle of aid entering the Strip. Desperation among the population is therefore high. As we think about Gaza, we are deeply concerned whenever we consider the psychological trauma, on top of everything else, that people are experiencing – we think of the children. Each time we meet we hear of the misery on top of the misery on top of misery. What else needs to happen before we are compelled to end this misery for the people in Gaza?
Guyana also acknowledges with sadness the many UN and other humanitarian personnel whose lives have been lost in the war. We also recognize those who continue to give selfless service under these extremely difficult conditions and stress that their safety and security should be equally concerning to us as a Council.
The funding cuts to UNRWA are also having a detrimental impact, given the critical work of the Agency both in Gaza and in the West Bank. For us these cuts are tantamount to collective punishment for the Palestinian people. Guyana appeals for the restoration of funding to UNRWA and for other donors to scale up funding to the Agency. We have made our own contribution just recently.
The events in Gaza are having a tremendous impact on an already volatile region, creating legitimate concerns about a regional conflagration. Guyana calls on all parties to exercise restraint and to refrain from actions that will only further exacerbate the situation in the region.
The Security Council’s actions must match the level of urgency. People are depending on us to stay alive. We need to send a strong and unequivocal message that this Council does not support the violations of international law taking place in Gaza.
Colleagues, Guyana urges this Council to safeguard the rights and dignity of the Palestinian people, in particular their right to a state of their own and to live in peace and security, away from the shadows of war.
