Statement by H.E. Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations, at Security Council meeting on 'The Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question'

Mr. President,

I thank Special Coordinator Wennesland for his briefing on the Secretary General’s report on the implementation of resolution 2334. The report provides another grim picture of developments in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and, sadly, highlights the ever-widening chasm between the legal obligations of the occupying power and the latter’s compliance with those obligations. The Council must act urgently to stem this tide of impunity and to put an end to the indignities that the Palestinian people are subjected to on a daily basis.

Mr. President,

Guyana is concerned that settlement activity continues unabated in the occupied West Bank in violation of resolution 2334 and has noted that the occupying power recently made the largest declaration of state land in the occupied West Bank. These actions, coupled with the ongoing demolitions and seizures of Palestinian-owned structures, directly threaten the viability of the two-state solution since they are a continuous encroachment on Palestinian territory, while simultaneously displacing its lawful residents. We call on Israel to immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory. We underscore that the establishment of Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 has no legal validity.

The level of violence that accompanies the occupying power’s illegal activities in the occupied Palestinian territory is distressing. We have seen, for example, recent reports of the Palestinian man who was strapped to the hood of a military vehicle and, in his injured state, driven around a neighbourhood in the West Bank. What accounts for this level of barbarity by one people against another? It is the cultivation and perpetuation of an ideology that dehumanizes the other, thus making it possible to devise and execute all kinds of violent and oppressive acts against those seen as inferior. By continuing to promulgate this ideology, Israel remains a constant threat not only to the wellbeing of Palestinians, but also to the values of the United Nations of which it remains a Member State. Guyana urges this Council to seriously consider how it might use the tools at its disposal to stop Israel’s atrocities against the Palestinian people.

On this latter note, Mr. President, the current situation in the Gaza Strip remains of deep concern to Guyana. We were hopeful that this Council’s various resolutions, including resolution 2735(2024) supporting the efforts of Egypt, Qatar and the United States, would have yielded a ceasefire and the release of hostages and detained Palestinians but this has not yet materialized. In the meantime, this manmade catastrophe has gotten worse characterized by, inter alia, a record death toll, starvation, disease, destruction and displacement. Amidst these realities, it appears that the Israeli Defence Force has incorporated a strategy of bombing refugee camps where thousands of Palestinians are now living in extremely vulnerable conditions. This war must end now! We reiterate our calls for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, bringing an end to this hell, where women and children bear the brunt.

Guyana also stresses the importance of adequate humanitarian access into Gaza using all available routes, and calls on Israel to facilitate the entry of adequate goods into Gaza to meet the needs of the besieged and ailing population. This is the legal obligation of Israel. We, as Member States of the United Nations and members of the UN Security Council, are duty-bound to ensure that justice and obligations under international law are upheld.

Mr. President,

Allow me to reflect briefly on the provision contained in resolution 2334 for all States to distinguish, in their relevant dealings, between the territory of the State of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967. Here, I would like to emphasize that greater due diligence must be exercised by all Member States to ensure full adherence to this provision in all their commercial dealings with Israel. We cannot simultaneously condemn the illegality of settlements and engage in the trade of commodities produced in those illegal settlements. There must be consequences for those who flout their obligations in this regard.

Let me conclude by once again emphasizing the urgency of halting the violence in the occupied Palestinian territory and ending the war in Gaza. We call on the parties to prioritize the lives of innocent civilians who continue to suffer with no end in sight.

I call on this Council to prioritize accountability and to send a strong message of deterrence to those who hold the view that they can continue to kill and maim innocent civilians without consequences.

Finally, I urge a redoubling of efforts to achieve the two-state solution. This is the just end to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and we must re-evaluate our strategies for achieving it. Guyana remains committed to this end.

I thank you.