Statement delivered by Ms. Neishanta Benn, Minister Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Guyana to the United Nations, during Security Council Briefing on 'The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question'
Madam President,
I thank Special Coordinator Kaag for presenting the Secretary-General’s report on the implementation of Security Council resolution 2334.
Madam President,
Guyana stresses the imperative of full and faithful compliance with resolution 2334. We are troubled at reports of heightened violations by all parties concerned of the said resolution contrary to international law, including the legal directives of the International Court of Justice. Guyana recalls this Council’s vision of a region where two democratic States, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace within secure and recognized borders. We call on the Council to shoulder its responsibilities in this regard and to work constructively to bring an end to the current hostilities and military operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which add to the toll of death, displacement and destruction and continue to put thousands of Palestinian lives and livelihoods at great risk.
Madam President,
This Council has long taken note of the impact of Israeli settlement policies and practices on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and on the prospects for the two-state solution and a durable peace between Israelis and Palestinians. We therefore cannot but be concerned that the ceasefire brokered between Israel and Hamas has been interrupted with a resulting new wave of violence once again entrapping innocent civilians, not least children, who, according to UNICEF, experienced on March 18th their “largest single-day death toll” in a year – more than 130 of them killed. This Council has a duty to act to end violence and bloodshed, to rekindle hope for durable peace and normality, where people are able to live, work and worship in freedom, and avert further endangerment to peace and security in the region and beyond.
Madam President,
We therefore urgently need a new political horizon to move us beyond the status quo and to advance the two-state solution. The recovery and reconstruction of Gaza is an integral part of this equation and the Plan proposed by the Arab Group is a good basis on which to take this forward.
To this end allow me to reiterate the following four appeals.
First, Guyana calls once again for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and for the cessation of all actions and uprooting of all ideologies that rationalize the perpetuation of war. We call on Israel and Hamas to negotiate in good faith to bring about compliance with Security Council resolution 2735. We also call for the cessation of hostilities in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Second, Guyana calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held in Gaza. We also call for all Palestinians detained in Israeli jails to be released. Both hostages and detainees must be treated with dignity and respect and allowed humanitarian access by the ICRC.
Third, we call for the aid blockade to be removed and for full, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access to all civilians in need, including to facilitate medical evacuations.
Finally, we call for Israel to comply with its international obligations as an occupying power, including its obligation not to annex any of the territory pertaining to Palestine. Israel’s colonial settler policy and practices must cease, and it must withdraw to the pre-1967 lines in accordance with the ICJ Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024.
Guyana commits to continue its strong engagement on the question of Palestine with a view to contributing to a just and lasting solution.
I thank you.
