Statement delivered by Her Excellency Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations, at the United Nations Security Council on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question”
Mr. President, Your Excellency Ahmed Attaf,
Thank you and the Algerian delegation for convening this timely debate. I also thank the Secretary-General, His Excellency Antonio Guterres, for his comprehensive briefing and indeed for his leadership and strident advocacy for peace in the Middle East.
Mr. President, Excellencies,
We are at a critical crossroads for both the Israeli and Palestinian people, and for the Middle East as a whole. The war in Gaza has been at the center of the violent turbulence in the region since 7 October 2023. With the first phase of the recently agreed ceasefire taking hold, hope is at an all-time high across the world, and among the Palestinian people in particular. Allow me to thank the governments of Egypt, Qatar and the United States for their tireless efforts. We call on the parties to fulfill their commitments under the ceasefire agreement, prioritizing the wellbeing of civilians. Guyana urges that the negotiations between the parties continue in good faith in order to progress to a permanent end to the war in Gaza, and the release of all hostages. The people of Gaza simply cannot afford another day of war. They must be guaranteed the space, time and resources to reconstruct their lives. Guyana therefore urges this Council and all Member States to ensure that hostilities do not resume in Gaza. We must also take all steps to ensure full compliance with the orders of provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice last year and with the Court’s Advisory Opinion regarding Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Mr. President, Excellencies,
In the immediate days ahead, the focus must continue to be on ramping up the supply of critical humanitarian assistance to people in the Gaza Strip, providing food and critical healthcare services to those in dire need, and addressing the situation of the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have been displaced from their homes. Children must be returned to the classroom, having endured more than a year of learning loss. International solidarity and support are as critical now as they have been throughout this war and Guyana urges all Member States to scale up the level of their support for recovery efforts in Gaza. It is also crucial for the UN and aid agencies to be able to carry out their work without impediments.
Mr. President,
As the tide shifts in Gaza with the implementation of this first phase of the ceasefire deal, the tide is also shifting for Palestinians on another front. The legislation adopted by the Israeli Knesset on 28 October last on UNRWA, is set to enter into force in a few days. Should Israel proceed with enforcing this legislation, this would collide with the space that the ceasefire deal has opened for scaling up humanitarian assistance to Gaza. As the Secretary-General has asserted, while a number of UN entities other than UNRWA have been operating and will continue to operate in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, these cannot replace UNRWA’s operations. The extent of UNRWA’S operations over its more than seventy (70) years cannot be replicated by any other Agency. Guyana wishes to remind that UNRWA’s operations were intended to be temporary. However, after more than seven decades the impediments to Palestinian statehood have not been removed, preventing a duly elected government from assuming its role and ensuring the proper functioning of the state and its institutions. Guyana therefore urges the Council and all Member States to safeguard UNRWA’s role in the occupied Palestinian territories until the Palestine refugee question is definitively addressed in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions. We further urge Israel to refrain from implementing the legislation as this would impede the work of the United Nations, especially at this critical time for Palestinians in Gaza.
Mr. President,
We must continue to work towards a permanent settlement of the Palestinian question in line with the two-state solution. The Palestinian people should not be made to endure further cycles of violence as we have seen since 7 October. Close to forty-seven thousand (47,000) Palestinians have lost their lives in this war, the majority of whom were women and children. Many more have lost their homes, their livelihoods, and Gaza now has the largest number of child amputees in modern history. Images of the destruction in the Gaza Strip show endless gray heaps with more than 90% of buildings estimated to have been destroyed or damaged.
Palestinians must now rebuild once again, and the support of the international community will be critical. Notwithstanding the enormity of what is before us, there is no time like the present for the United Nations to secure a lasting and just solution of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. We must seize the moment and end this conflict and the suffering of generations of Palestinians. It is a question of self-determination and justice for the Palestinian people.
In closing, Mr. President, freedom for the Palestinian people in a State of their own and a secure Israel are not elusive. As we meet today amidst glimmering hope and cautious optimism, Guyana believes that the ceasefire agreement could be the first step of advancing these twin endeavors, forging a lasting peace for the people of Palestine and Israel and the wider Middle East. As a member of the United Nations and this Council we stand ready to do our part.
I thank you, Mr. President.
