-affirms solidarity in struggle for statehood
Guyana was among UN Member States that on Thursday voted in favour of what is being dubbed the de facto recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state and it used the occasion to reiterate its solidarity with the Palestinian people and their struggle for recognition.
Guyana was also a co-sponsor of the General Assembly resolution, which will upgrade the Palestinian Authority’s observer status at the United Nations to “non-member state” from “entity.” It was carried with the overwhelming support of 138 Member States that voted in its favour, while nine voted against and 41 abstained. Three members did not participate in the vote.
The occasion coincided with the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Guyana government submitted a statement of solidarity to the Palestinian Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. “…The government and people of Guyana renew their principled support for the just struggle of the Palestinian People to realize their inalienable rights to self-determination including the right to an independent state and permanent homeland,” the statement, released by the ministry, said.
It noted that this year’s commemoration also coincided with the 65th anniversary of the UN resolution that divided Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states and it lamented that while the State of Israel has long since seen the light of day, Palestinians continue to endure repeated frustration in their struggle for statehood.
“Without correcting this historic wrong, the goal of a two state solution, to which the international community subscribes, will not be achieved,” Guyana warned, while affirming its support for Palestine’s request for non-member observer state status in the United Nations.
It further said that repeated hostilities, such as the most recent outbreak of violence between Israel and Gaza, serve only to deepen hatreds and add to the incalculable cost of the conflict in the loss of human life and material destruction. “They bear tragic testimony to the urgent necessity for the two parties to return to the negotiating table and renew in earnest the pursuit of a mutually acceptable solution for the sake of the Palestinian and Israeli people,” it declared.
“Guyana will remain steadfast in its support of all efforts aimed at the peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the realization of a viable independent State of Palestine living side by side and at peace with a secure State of Israel, and the achievement of a durable peace in the entire Middle East in keeping with relevant resolutions of the United Nations,” it added.
