…wants illegal blockade of aid into Gaza lifted
Guyana has again sounded calls at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for efforts to be directed towards a ceasefire between Palestine and Israel with the aim of prioritizing peace for their peoples.
On Tuesday, the UNSC held a briefing on ‘The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.’
This followed an Israeli airstrike on Gaza which killed over 400 Palestinians on Tuesday. This attack comes after nearly two months of mostly calm since a ceasefire was brokered between the two Middle East nations.
During Tuesday’s Security Council briefing, Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, pointed out that the peoples of Gaza and Israel both continue to suffer because of political decisions, and will also continue to grapple with the consequences of a decades-old war that keeps pitting them against each other when they all dream of peace.
To this end, the Guyanese UN envoy called on Israel and Hamas to prioritize the lives and wellbeing of civilians, to urgently reach agreement on the next phase of the ceasefire deal, and ultimately on a permanent ceasefire.
“Guyana’s singular appeal to the parties is to prioritize peace for the people of Palestine and the people of Israel. In so doing, we reiterate the need for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire to create the conditions for the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza,” she posited.
Ambassador Rodrigues-Birkett also called on Israel to halt airstrikes on Gaza, which she says only strain the negotiating environment in addition to bringing more death and destruction.
In fact, she highlighted the irony of these events in this holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims across the world seek to grow in moral probity. She noted that Palestinians are confronted with more suffering brought about by an apparent paucity of humanity and compassion.
According to the Guyanese UN Representative, the past three weeks have seen a rollback of the humanitarian progress made over the previous six weeks following the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the United States. With the pause of the Israeli offensive in Gaza and the easing of several restrictions on humanitarian assistance, Palestinians, and indeed the international community, were hopeful that the situation would progressively improve, culminating at some point in a full recovery for Gaza.
“Guyana is therefore very disappointed that a decision was taken to halt humanitarian aid into Gaza since March 2, on account of a deadlock in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas. This decision is illegal, since Israel is obligated under international law not to deprive civilians of the goods and services essential to their survival.
“Once again, Palestinian civilians are being made to walk the path of war, which has ravaged their lives and their land for over fifteen months. This Council must take the necessary action to prevent a repeat of the catastrophe which Gaza has endured for more than a year,” she implored.
Coupled with this new offensive, Ambassador Rodrigues-Birkett stressed that the ongoing aid blockade has placed Palestinians in an extremely precarious situation. She used the opportunity to urge Israel to lift the ban on the entry of aid into Gaza, in keeping with its obligations under international humanitarian law.
“Guyana again calls on Israel to lift its illegal blockade of aid into the Gaza Strip to facilitate the easing of the dire humanitarian situation; and on the international community to scale up its humanitarian assistance. We also reiterate the demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages from Gaza, and of Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli jails without charge,” the Guyanese UN diplomat stressed.
This Security Council briefing was held at a time when the largest gathering on women’s empowerment and gender equality – the Commission on the Status of Women – is currently meeting in New York, and Ambassador Rodrigues-Birkett used the opportunity to highlight the plights of women and girls in Palestine – both in Gaza and in the occupied West Bank.
She cited a March 13 report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, on Israel’s systematic use of sexual, reproductive and other forms of gender-based violence since 7 October 2023, which has elaborated the disproportionate impact of the war on Palestinian women and girls who continue to bear the brunt of the decisions taken by those in power.
“One of the most painful realizations is all of this is happening in the twenty-first century. With all the international legal advances made for the protection and promotion of the rights of women and girls, the situation in Palestine should never have reached these proportions. The situation of children is equally distressing, Madame President. As reported by UNICEF, without aid entering the Gaza Strip, roughly one million children are again living without the very basics they need to survive,” she outlined.
To this end, Ambassador Rodrigues-Birkett added, “…Guyana calls for earnest efforts towards a lasting, just, and comprehensive peace between Israel and Palestine, premised on the two-state solution. Guyana remains committed to doing its part to this end.”
