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'

Thank you, Mr. President, and I thank Coordinator Wennesland and Dr. Baxter for the important updates provided.

Mr. President,

I am almost certain that many around this table are burdened by the fact that the Council remains so impotent in the face of such colossal suffering by the Palestinian people over these last ten months, and indeed these past seven decades.  

Although we have adopted four resolutions since 7th October, none has had the desired impact, because we have not taken any decisions to enforce them even as the mass atrocities being carried out by the Israeli Government multiply. Consequently, more than forty thousand lives have been lost and this number climbs every day. Simultaneously, a wider regional conflagration seems imminent, and the situation for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is deteriorating owing to a mix of settler violence and Israeli policies and actions that enable the violence.

Last Thursday’s attack on the Palestinian town of Jit in the West Bank was so unprecedented that it elicited rare condemnation from the Israeli government. One Israeli Minister did say, however, that such incidents happen because Israeli soldiers are not allowed to “shoot terrorists who throw stones.” The Minister’s assertion is illustrative of the heavy-handedness of Israel when it comes to Palestinians – every form of resistance owing occupation and oppression is met with a brutality that would make some of history’s most cruel oppressors blush.  

Guyana condemns the actions of Israeli citizens in Jit and calls on the Israeli Government to ensure that its investigations lead to justice for every Palestinian affected by the incident.  

This leads me to contemplate, Mr. President, the illogical philosophy that has driven Israel’s behaviour towards Palestine over the last seven decades. Israel has established that security guarantees are one of its highest priorities. Yet, it uses its military might to make enemies in the region, thereby undermining its own security. This has now led to heightened mistrust and tensions in the region with civilians losing the most.  

This cycle must be halted because peace in the Middle East is not elusive.  

Guyana calls on all concerned to lay down their weapons and seek the path of peace.  

Mr. President,

The exasperation of the Palestinian people is palpable having suffered indignity after indignity over the last ten months. They have reportedly been used as human shields as Israel scopes out buildings in search of Hamas operatives.  Part of the reasoning reportedly offered? Too many dogs had died from the dog units that searched for explosives. Is Palestinian life worth nothing?  

The lives of both Palestinians and Israelis are sacred, and none is superior to the other. None is more worthy of protection than the other. It is ironic that the very thing that Israel wants for itself and its people, it denies the Palestinians – peace and security.

Peace and security for Palestine is rooted in their freedom from the occupying power and the achievement of their independence. The International Court of Justice has already determined that the Israeli occupation of Palestine is unlawful and puts the two-state solution at risk.  

Successive resolutions of the General Assembly have affirmed the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. What is missing, Mr. President,  is Israel’s compliance with its legal obligations. This Council must seriously consider effective measures to secure compliance.

Mr. President,

Guyana calls for an end to the ongoing hostilities as one of the first and most important steps towards addressing the myriad challenges that have developed in Gaza since 7th October. Dr. Baxter and Mr. Wennesland have reminded us about the polio cases that have been confirmed in Gaza – a disease that was eradicated from the Strip twenty-five years ago. We call on Israel to allow the WHO to administer the 1.6 million vaccines ready to be deployed.

Skin diseases and hepatitis are also a growing challenge amidst a woefully inadequate healthcare system. Combined with food insecurity, constant displacement and general destruction across the Strip, the situation is one of utter desperation and devastation. In this context, the UN, as well as other humanitarian agencies, must be allowed to do their work on behalf of civilians in Gaza.  

The attacks on UN premises and staff must cease and unimpeded access must be granted to the Strip. Guyana calls on the Israeli authorities to fulfil their obligations in accordance with international law, including international humanitarian law.  

Mr. President,

Guyana continues to stress the urgency of reaching an agreement for a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and a surge in humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian civilians. These are the immediate steps needed to address the most pressing needs and we look forward to a deal being reached in the coming days.

In the long-term, however, questions of governance, reconstruction, contiguity of Gaza and the occupied West Bank, learning loss, and trauma, are all to be grappled with, taking full account of the will of the Palestinian people.  

The biggest question, however, is that of justice. The Palestinians must be redressed not only for the things they were made to endure in this war but also over the last seven decades, beginning with their expulsion from most of their homeland in 1948.

I conclude, Mr. President, by referencing the words of my Caribbean brother Robert Nesta Marley, better known as Bob Marley, who said that “until the philosophy that holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, everywhere is war.” This Council must make it consequential for any Member State to promulgate such a dangerous philosophy.

I thank you.