Guyana must sever all diplomatic ties with the State of Israel

Oct 15, 2023 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Kaieteur News – President Irfaan Ali must now sever all diplomatic relations with the State of Israel. Israel is an occupying force and its right to self-defense is moot once it continues to be an occupying force on Palestinian lands.

It is time for Irfaan Ali to take a firm stance, including breaking with his CARICOM colleagues, and to reset relations with Israel, deeming that state as an entity that violates international law and civilized norms. Now is the time for the Government of Guyana to take a firm stance against Israel’s violations of international law and its disproportionate response to recent events in Gaza.

Guyana has a long-standing commitment to non-violence. It has consistently come out against violence and the recent statement by the Caribbean Community on the situation in Gaza implicitly condemns violence from both sides of the present conflict.

However, Israel is an occupying power and it is now appropriate for Guyana to equally reaffirm its support for the for the rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to a homeland.  Guyana has long taken a side in solidarity with suffering Palestinians who have long endured oppression, dispossession, and injustice at the hands of the State of Israel.

The events of recent days and in particular, the horrifying developments in Gaza, demand Guyana’s immediate condemnation. Israel has suffered from horrific attacks but its response in the form of indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas, including homes, schools, and hospitals, is a clear violation of international humanitarian law. Such actions have resulted in the loss of innocent lives and an unbearable humanitarian crisis and a disproportionate response.

Israel has sought to justify its indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas – resulting in massive deaths including women and children – by contending that there are no innocent civilians in Gaza. In so doing it is condemning women and children to being massacred.

The siege imposed on Gaza represents an act of collective punishment against the Palestinian people, many of whom were already living in dire conditions before the recent escalation.  Israel has made it clear that it will be denying food, water, fuel and electricity to the people of Gaza. This siege is nothing short of a modern-day form of genocide.

Dehumanization has become a tool of oppression in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Israeli Defence Minister has said that Israel is fighting animals. The dehumanizing rhetoric employed by Israel, supported by the United States and perpetuated by some Western media, lays the groundwork for the slow but steady extinction of the Palestinian people.

Guyana cannot remain silent in the face of Israel’s atrocities. The government of Guyana has a proud history of advocating for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and statehood. Israel’s continued occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, along with its expansionist policies in contravention of international law, only serve to make the region unstable.

The path to peace must begin with the full and immediate withdrawal of Israel from Palestinian lands. Such a withdrawal would represent a fundamental step toward achieving a just and lasting resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is imperative that Guyana sends a send a clear message to the international community that violations of international law will not be tolerated, and the suffering of the Palestinian people will not be ignored.

Some may argue that severing diplomatic relations with Israel is an extreme step. However, the extreme circumstances on the ground in Palestine necessitate bold action. Diplomatic relations are not a form of endorsement but rather a channel through which nations communicate. By severing these ties, Guyana would be sending a powerful message to the world and, more importantly, to the Palestinian people, that we stand with them in their struggle for justice.

This decision does not mean we turn our backs on dialogue or diplomacy. On the contrary, it is a call for international diplomacy to intensify efforts to bring all parties to the table for a peaceful and just resolution.  Guyana, now a member of the United Nations Security Council must work together with other nations to pressure Israel to adhere to international law, end its occupation, and engage in meaningful negotiations with the Palestinian leadership.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not a one-sided issue.  Guyana should not condone violence or aggression from either side. However, it cannot countenance Israel’s disproportionate response to attacks on its citizens to the point where innocent women and children are being slaughtered.

A decision to break diplomatic relations with Israel is a step toward justice, an assertion of the principles of international law, and a reaffirmation of Guyana’s commitment to the rights of the Palestinian people.

In taking this bold step, Guyana is indicating that its stand alongside nations and individuals who have tirelessly advocated for the rights of the Palestinian people. But such a stance must also reaffirm the call for an end to the violence, an end to the occupation, and a just and lasting resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this newspaper and its affiliates.)

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• Government, Guyana, Israel, Palestinian, Peeping Tom

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