Guyana must avoid appearing to appease the Americans

Jun 06, 2024 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Kaieteur News – Guyana may have had its reasons to issue a statement noting the ceasefire proposal, developed by the Biden administration, over the conflict in Gaza.  Perhaps as a member of the United Nations Security Council, it may have felt a need to express an opinion on the initiative.

In its statement, Guyana acknowledged the three-phase deal proposed by U.S. President Joseph R. Biden to end Israel’s war on Gaza. Guyana noted that the proposal aligns with past UN decisions, which it supported, calling for an immediate ceasefire, release of hostages, increased humanitarian aid to Gaza, and a comprehensive reconstruction plan with security guarantees. Emphasizing the need for a lasting resolution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, Guyana repeated its long-standing call for a two-state solution with an independent State of Palestine based on pre-1967 borders, coexisting peacefully with Israel. Guyana also called on the international community to intensify efforts to achieve this goal and end the long-standing conflict.

It is not so much what was said as what was not said that is disturbing about Guyana’s reaction to the American initiative. It took the deaths of 36,000 Palestinians to force the United States to do what all along everyone knew it could do: restrain Israel. The United States is complicit in the ongoing genocide in Palestine. It always had the ability to wield substantial influence that could have curtailed Israel’s disproportionate aggression and the mass slaughter of innocent Palestinian civilians. For decades, American political, military, and financial support has emboldened Israel.

For decades, this support has allowed Israel to act with impunity while violating international laws and human rights. Despite possessing the leverage to demand restraint and accountability from Israel, the U.S. has largely opted to shield its ally from global censure. As such, it must be joined as a co-accused in the attempt to the eradication of the Palestinian people. Guyana could have used its diplomatic lexicon to indicate that the United States has finally used its unquestionable diplomatic muscle to restrain Israel. It should have pointed out that had the Americans acted earlier, it could have saved the lives of more than 36,000 innocent Palestinians.

Guyana continues to peddle the idea of a two-state solution. The two-state solution is now an anachronism. Given what has taken place over the past year, it now difficult to realize amid the deep-seated bitterness, hatred, and enduring pain that Palestinians have had to endure. Decades of occupation, dispossession, and violence have inflicted profound psychological and emotional wounds, making reconciliation and coexistence seem like distant dreams. The systematic injustices, from land seizures to military assaults and the killing of civilians, have sown seeds of deep resentment and mistrust, which mere political agreements cannot easily erase. The grief and trauma, of the past eight months, experienced by Palestinians create significant barriers to forgiving or forgetting the past. Israel’s disproportionate actions has made the practical implementation of a two-state solution an impossibility.

How can a two-state solution succeed when, even today, the fundamental premise of an independent Palestinian state is met with resistance from both American and Israeli leadership? The persistent refusal to recognize Palestinian sovereignty undermines any genuine efforts towards a peaceful resolution. This entrenched opposition from key stakeholders not only delegitimizes the prospect of a two-state solution but also erodes the trust necessary for meaningful negotiations. Without a firm commitment to Palestinian self-determination from both the United States and Israel, the vision of two states coexisting peacefully remains an unattainable ideal rather than a viable reality.

In its recent statement, Guyana missed the opportunity to highlight that the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has applied for arrest warrants for the leaders of both Israel and Hamas. Additionally, despite aligning itself with actions against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Guyana did not reference the ICJ’s Order calling on Israel to refrain from committing genocide. These were significant oversights in Guyana’s statement. Acknowledging these legal actions would have underscored the seriousness of the international community’s stance on the issues.

Guyana’s endorsement of President Biden’s initiative fails to demand justice for the victims of genocide. The statement indulges in diplomatic niceties without addressing accountability for the atrocities committed on both sides. By not calling for concrete actions against those responsible for the mass killings and systemic oppression of Palestinians, and for the deaths and kidnappings of Israel citizens, Guyana’s statement aligns more with appeasing American political interests than advocating for the necessary justice and reparations for the victims. This stance, while diplomatically palatable to the U.S., overlooks the crucial need for holding perpetrators accountable and delivering true justice to those who have suffered immensely.

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

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• civilians, Gaza, Guyana, International Court of Justice, Palestine, resolution, supported, U.S. President Joseph R. Biden

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