`Does a bounty exist on the head of every Palestinian child, woman and man in Gaza?’
-Guyana security council representative asks
Noting what she says is deep concern over the “continuing death and destruction” which have enveloped Gaza, Permanent Representative to the United Nations Security Council, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett asked on Wednesday if a bounty had been placed on every Palestinian.
Meanwhile, signalling even stronger support for the Palestinian people, the Guyana Government yesterday announced US$150,000 for the Palestinian relief agency, UNRWA which has come under severe pressure in recent days over claims that some of its employees participated in the horrific Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th.
Stating what she says would be the “first and most important step” at this stage to halt the death and destruction in the Gaza Strip, however, RodriguesBirkett says Guyana is calling for a ceasefire.
She told a Security Council meeting on Wednesday that as is with wars everywhere, the one in Gaza is disruptive in myriad ways— jeopardizing the delivery of education, seriously compromising the delivery of quality healthcare services thus bringing the healthcare system to its knees; while noting that the scarce economic opportunities that previously existed for Palestinian people have now dwindled and that almost the entire population of Gaza has been internally displaced.
In a statement she delivered at the 9540th meeting of the United Nations Security Council on n the “Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question,” Rodrigues-Birkett, sought to reiterate what she said is Guyana’s unequivocal condemnation of the October 7th attacks on Israel.
“We call again for the release of all hostages held in Gaza. We also call for the release of Palestinians [unlawfully] being detained in Israeli prisons without trial,” she said.
Underscoring that the Council had already met four times for January, on the Palestinian question, she was keen to point out that each briefing brought reports of more lives lost and an everworsening situation in Gaza.
In her address to President of the Council, Rodrigues-Birkett said that following developments in the war and listening to the briefings by UN agencies, including what she recalled was reported from Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator USG Martin Griffiths, “one may be moved to wonder whether a bounty exists on the head of every Palestinian child, man or woman.”
She opined that many of those who have “managed to escape the bombs and bullets face the dire prospect of death from starvation or disease.”
“Can the Council keep silent in these circumstances? Of course not! The international community, and this Council in particular, must spare no effort to end this cycle of bloodshed,” she asserted.
On this point she said that it was “distressing to learn that 12 of the 13,000
UNRWA staffers were alleged to have been involved in the 7 October attack against Israel. We look forward to the conclusion of the UN’s investigations into the matter and to appropriate action being taken.”
On that note, she told the President “We are concerned that several countries have halted their funding to UNRWA on account of these allegations; even as she stated that UNRWA is “indispensable” to the people of Gaza and has for decades offered a lifeline to Palestinians.
“With the current unprecedented situation in Gaza, UNRWA cannot afford to lose a single penny,” she said; while continuing, “We look forward to a prompt resolution in the interest of the continued unhindered flow of much needed humanitarian support to the people in Gaza.”
In its statement yesterday, the Guyana Government said that its $30m contribution to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) aligns with this country’s appeals for a “more robust” international response to the ongoing situation in the Gaza Strip.
Rodrigues-Birkett assured that Guyana maintains that a ceasefire is the first and most important step at this stage to halt the death and destruction in the Gaza Strip; while expressing the hope for a positive outcome of ongoing efforts by regional and other actors.
Provisional
The provisional measures granted by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last Friday she said were clear—the “killing of Palestinians must stop; bodily and mental harm to Palestinians must stop; deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to bring about physical destruction in whole or in part must stop.”
Guyana, she says, urges strict adherence to international law, including international humanitarian law, and underscores the obligation of UN Member States in this respect.
She advanced that the ultimate remedy to this continuing cycle of crises is the full implementation of the two-state solution as outlined in various UN resolutions.
“Guyana looks forward to a new day for Palestinians and Israelis beyond the constant shadows of war. We are prepared to work with this Council and the entire UN membership to accelerate the vision of two independent states living side by side in peace and security, and of a peaceful Middle East,” the Ambassador said.
In an earlier statement delivered on January 23rd, Rodrigues-Birkett recalled that SG Griffiths’ briefing on the situation in Gaza painted a “stark picture of the brutal reality that Palestinian men, women and children are living.”
A reality which she said had “progressively worsened” since October 7th, emphasising then too, that Guyana “unequivocally condemns the violent, sub-human treatment to which the Palestinian people continue to be subjected.”
The Ambassador had said that the desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza has rightly attracted worldwide outrage and condemnation “and Guyana underscores our collective responsibility as members of this Council to respond in adequate measure for the protection and relief of Palestinian people.”
Against that background she said that Guyana welcomed the SecretaryGeneral’s appointment of Sigrid Kaag of the Netherlands as Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza pursuant to resolution 2720; while adding, “We look forward to the urgent establishment of the United Nations mechanism to accelerate humanitarian relief consignments to Gaza. We urge all stakeholders to cooperate fully with the Coordinator and the mechanism once established.”
Even then, Rodrigues-Birkett had registered Guyana’s call for a ceasefire, stating that while relief mechanisms are important steps for the Palestinian people, “we emphasize that the impacts of these interventions will not be sustainable outside of a lasting ceasefire.”
On this point she said that Guyana has taken note of the Secretary-General’s observation that an effective aid operation requires “security; staff who can work in safety; logistical capacity; and the resumption of commercial activity.”
These conditions do not exist currently and can never be met amidst constant and unrestrained bombings. Guyana therefore urges intensified efforts towards the achievement of a ceasefire and is prepared to work with fellow Council members to
this end,” she had said.
She went on to add that the continued violations of international law, including international human rights law and international humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip and in the occupied West Bank, should never be met with silence.
“Guyana deplores such violations by all parties and underscores the obligation to adhere to and respect international law. We condemn the ongoing and indiscriminate attacks against hospitals, refugee camps and UN facilities and call on the Israeli Defence Force to cease the killing of innocent civilians.”
Meanwhile, Guyana yesterday assumed the presidency of the UN Security Council for February. Guyana formally become a non-permanent member last month.