PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF JAMAICA TO THE U.N ON BEHALF OF CARICOM
STATEMENT BY:
HIS EXCELLENCY BRIAN WALLACE
PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF JAMAICA
TO THE UNITED NATIONS
ON BEHALF OF
THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY (CARICOM)
AT THE 10th EMERGENCY SPECIAL SESSION OF THE
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST
26th OCTOBER 2023
NEW YORK
__________________________________________________________________
“Mr. President,
The attacks on Israeli civilians by Hamas on October 7 were abhorrent. They were acts of terror that must never be condoned. Ordinary Israeli citizens – men, women and children – were murdered, wounded, abducted and assaulted. Some 200 plus people, including citizens of other states and nationalities, were taken hostage. This is unacceptable. We call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and an end to the use of these terrorist tactics.
CARICOM notes that Israel’s response to the attacks has been devastating to ordinary Palestinians in Gaza. Over 4,600 lives have been lost; more than 14000 people have been wounded; and approximately 1.4 million have been displaced. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is worsening daily, with women and children being disproportionately impacted. This unacceptable level of human suffering cannot go unabated.
CARICOM, therefore, joins the call for an immediate cessation of hostilities by all parties, the opening of humanitarian corridors to facilitate unhindered access to food, medical supplies, fuel, water and other humanitarian products and services so desperately needed by the affected civilian population.
We commend the Secretary General for his relentless efforts in coordinating the delivery of humanitarian assistance and supplies to those affected. We also commend the work of UN staff and affiliated personnel who are working tirelessly to provide support to the affected population. We also acknowledge the role of members of the United Nations that are actively deploying resources and facilitating access to amenities aimed at alleviating the suffering of the civilian population.
CARICOM conveys its deepest condolences to the families of Israelis and Palestinians who have lost loved ones. We also empathize with the families of the UN staff members who have been killed. CARICOM also extends its sympathies to those injured during this tragic conflict and pray for their speedy recovery.
Mr. President,
CARICOM expresses its concern that if the conflict is not immediately brought to an end, it could escalate into a wider regional conflict with significant implications for the stability and welfare not just of that region, but also of the broader international community, with devastating consequences, especially for vulnerable small island states such as those in CARICOM who are already struggling to overcome multi-faceted challenges.
CARICOM therefore calls on all stakeholders to take every necessary step to re-establish a pathway to peace and stability through dialogue and diplomacy and to reject any methodology that includes violence, war and terror. The ordinary people of the region, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, all deserve to live in peace and harmony, free from the pernicious threats and constant fear of violence and terror.
Let us once and for all acknowledge and accept the utter futility of war, violence and terror and recognize that dialogue and diplomacy constitute the only viable pathway to a lasting peace.
Mr. President, please allow me to close by reaffirming CARICOM’s continued support for United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 and the ongoing efforts of the United Nations towards a two-state solution, which is the best way to achieve comprehensive peace, security and tranquillity between Israel and Palestine. CARICOM urges the acceleration of these efforts to bring about an urgent, peaceful and lasting resolution of the conflioct.
I thank you.”