Just & lasting solution to Israeli-Palestine conflict must be pursued – Govt

– reiterates importance of implementing two-State solution for lasting peace

In the wake of the announced peace deal between Israel and Hamas, the government of Guyana has made it clear to the international community that a just and lasting solution to the Israel and Palestine conflict must be pursued… particularly through the implementation of the two-state solution.
This was expressed by the government in a statement on Monday, responding to news of the Isarael and Hamas deal, as announced by United States (US) President Joe Biden. This particular cease-fire contains a three-phase approach to bring the war in Gaza to an end.
“We have noted that the proposal aligns in several ways with previous decisions taken by the United Nations Security Council and the General Assembly to end the war which Guyana supported.”
“These include an immediate and sustained ceasefire, the unconditional release of hostages, the rapid scaling up of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and the importance of developing a robust reconstruction plan for Gaza,” the government said in its statement.
According to the government, the plan for reconstruction would require strong guarantees of security. Nonetheless, the government reiterated the importance of achieving a “just and lasting solution” to the conflict, which has lasted for over 70 years.
“The only viable solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is through the full implementation of the two-state solution with the creation of a free and independent state of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders, living peacefully alongside the state of Israel.”
“Guyana urges the international community to redouble its efforts to this end, bringing an end to the decades of bloodshed and insecurity that have characterised the Israeli/Palestinian conflict,” the government added.
It was only recently that Guyana was forced to express its strong condemnation of Israel’s actions following last weekend’s airstrikes that killed over 40 Palestinians who were seeking refuge in a camp in Rafah.

This was after airstrikes from the Israeli Defence Forces struck Tal al-Sultan in western Rafah, setting fire to a displacement camp where some 45 Palestinians seeking refuge were killed and over 200 were injured. This incident has sparked widespread condemnation globally.
At a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Meeting last week, Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, joined in denouncing the actions of the Israeli Government. Noting that the war crisis is in the occupied Palestinian territory, she also sounded calls for an international probe into the incident.
The Guyanese UN Representative had further renewed calls for a two-state solution to end the decades-old war between Palestine and Israel. She noted that the Palestinian people must exercise their inalienable right to self-determination, and it is the UN that must guarantee the exercise of that right.
In addition to its calls for a ceasefire, the Guyana Government had, back in February, pledged US$150,000 to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), in support of Palestinians displaced and affected by the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Another US$80 million in donations was raised by local stakeholders during the month of Ramadan in April.
During Wednesday’s UNSC meeting, Ambassador Rodrigues-Birkett underscored the importance of UNRWA, and pledged Guyana’s unwavering support for the relief agency. She also expressed deep concerns about and rejected, moves to designate UNRWA as a terrorist organisation.
The UN Representative has said Guyana is prepared to work with the Security Council to accomplish peace for Palestinians and Israelis. However, even as international outcry continues against Israel’s onslaught in Gaza, it has been reported that another airstrike on Thursday morning killed 12 more Palestinians.
Since the October 7 2023 attacks, more than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed, and over 80,000 injured – many of these victims being women and children.