Guyana welcomes Biden’s proposed Israeli-Hamas deal but presses for two-state solution

Last Updated on Monday, 3 June 2024, 19:00 by Writer

Guyana on Sunday welcomed United States (US) President, Joe Biden’s proposed Israel-Hamas deal to end Israel’s war on Gaza, but again pegged lasting peace to a two-state solution.

“We have noted that the proposal aligns in several ways with previous decisions taken by the United Nations Security Council and the General Assembly to end the war, and which Guyana supported,” the Guyana government said in a late Sunday night statement.

Mr Biden’s May 31 proposal includes an immediate and sustained ceasefire, the unconditional release of hostages, the rapid scaling up of humanitarian aid into Gaza and the importance of developing a robust reconstruction plan for Gaza. However, Guyana said it “reiterates that investments in the reconstruction plan would require strong security guarantees.”

But Georgetown further underscored the importance of achieving a just and lasting solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict which has persisted for over seven decades. “The only viable solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is through the full implementation of the two-state solution with the creation of a free and independent State of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders, living peacefully alongside the State of Israel.”

Guyana urged the international community to redouble its efforts to this end, bringing an end to the decades of bloodshed and
insecurity that have characterized the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

A group of persons in Guyana, who support Palestine, on Saturday held a motorcade in Georgetown, calling for a two-state solution.