“LIVING on the edge of a volcano” was how Ambassador of the State of Israel to Guyana, Amiram Magid described Israel’s geographic location in the turmoil- stricken Middle East, after candid, meaningful talks with President Donald Ramotar on the two countries’ varied positions on Palestine.

Israelis and Palestinians have been embroiled in a historic territorial war that has resulted in the death of countless numbers of Palestinians, and has consistently engaged the attention of the United Nations.
Guyana’s position on the issue was echoed by President Ramotar during his debut address at the Sixty-Seventh Session of the UN General Assembly last year, when he called for the rights of the Palestinian people to be respected as every other’s, “to live in dignity, security, freedom and independence, at peace with all their neighbours, and with the right to move freely within their homeland.”
He reiterated also Guyana’s recognition of the State of Palestine, based on its 1967 borders, and supports “her aspirations to full membership of the United Nations. The Palestinian people deserve the same right as people everywhere.”
Guyana joined 138 UN member states to vote on a resolution on the status of Palestine, and with Suriname, became the first two CARICOM nations to formally recognise Palestine’s statehood.
The bombardment of Palestinians in Gaza by Israeli military last year drew a protest outside of the United States Embassy in Guyana by a 200-strong group of peaceful protestors, calling on the United States and the European Union (EU) to make a more concerted effort to halt the military campaign.
On November 29, 2012, Palestinians and their allies rejoiced when the UN General Assembly voted to upgrade the status of the Palestinian Authority (PA) to a non-member observer state.
The decision did not find favour with Israel, but despite the discrepancies, Ambassador Magid said his country remains committed to sharing its experience with other countries in mutually beneficial areas such as agriculture and health.
Asked about the Israeli/Guyana relations, Ambassador Magid said he has seen a determined effort by both countries to narrow the existential gap; and as the Israeli envoy to Guyana since 2010, he hopes to make a meaningful contribution in this regard.