By Sunday Onyemaechi Eze
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On October 7, the world woke up to a surprised and unprovoked attack on Israeli territory by the Palestinian led Hamas group resulting to death of scores and destruction of properties.
Hamas was said to have launched
over 5000 rocket propelled attacks on Israel lasting several hours. Sources
from Aljazeera quoted Mohammed Deif, head of the Qassam Brigades, the military
wing of Hamas as saying, “we announced the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and
we announce that the first strike, which targeted enemy positions, airports and
military fortifications exceeded 5,000 missiles and shells.”
At least 1200 civilians were
reported dead, many wounded while thirteen out of 150 Israelis held hostage
have been killed by Hamas. Some analysts said that the Palestinian territory is
almost entirely occupied and gentrified; snatched from them, perhaps eventually
leaving them without anywhere to go, except to fight and die. Just in July, the
Israeli government under Netanyahu laid out a plan to build more settlements in
the West Bank, to bring in up to one million Jewish settlers even though it is
illegal and in contravention of international treaties. As one Palestinian
negotiator said a few days ago, “the Palestinians will soon be left with three
choices - live under total Jewish subjugation. Leave. Or die.”
Israel does not takes any
affront to its sovereignty or territorial integrity lightly. Therefore, it has
swiftly retaliated with blistering aerial attacks on Gaza preparatory for
ground assault. Israel is angry and nobody knows when this onslaught on Gaza
will end. Responding to the unwarranted attacks, Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that, “Israel will take mighty vengeance against
Hamas.
This war will take time. It
will be difficult.” Major General Ghassan Alian, a key Israeli Defence Force
official said that Hamas had, “opened the gates of hell with its surprise
attack and will bear the responsibility and pay for its deeds.” As Israeli
offensive continues on Gaza, officials said; “it has dropped 6,000 bombs
weighing 4,000 tonnes in the past six days, killing more than 1,400 people.”
The attack on Israel was a
surprise to the global community after many thought the two neighbours are
beginning to learn how to live in peace with each other. Why is it difficult
for the world to find a lasting solution to this conflict? The unending
Israeli/Palestinian conflict is fueled by the bias and hypocrisy of the global
community.
There is an already existing
global political alignment on matters related to Israel/Palestine. America has
never hidden her support for Israel. The Islamic Republic of Iran has risen up
as the big brother of Palestine/Hamas. It is ridiculous some religious leaders across
both Christian and Islamic divides have made this to look like a religious war.
Their followers have pitched
tents with either side in complete ignorance of the crux of the matter. The
crisis is a war to claim territory not on religion. Land as a resource and
historical ancestral affinity to both Israel and Palestine is at the heart of
this conflict. Both have laid claims to ancestral ownership of the land.
Humanity does not support injustice and subjugation.
Therefore, the right of the
Palestinian people to life and home is paramount. Israel also needs protection
and a place called their own. Hamas should have allowed the sleeping dog lie by
avoiding any provocative actions that could deepen the already existing
animosity and fragile situation. Israel should understand that the generality
of Palestinian people are the underdog and it is not fair to kill a fly with a
sledge hammer. Therefore, for calm and normalcy to return, the world should
strongly impress it on both states to embrace peace and the United Nations
prescribed 1947 two-nation states status.
The world should take side with
humanity, stop alignment based on economic or political interest and discard
spewing religious bigotry. The total population of Israel is 9.364m equivalent
to the population of Kaduna State in Nigeria, occupying a land mass of
22,145sq.km, far less than Adamawa State of Nigeria with 36,917sq.km. Of the
above population, 1.7m are Muslims representing 18% while Christians are just
185,000 equivalent to 1.9%. Jewish religion adherents have about 73.6% of the
total population.
From the above figures, it can
be seen that Israeli Muslims are more than Israeli Christians while Jewish
religious adherents takes the lead. The Israeli Defense Force has an army of
169,500 (active personnel). Of this number, only 150 are Christians while
Muslims are 606, the rest are Jewish Adherents. 40% of Jerusalem are
Palestinians. Therefore, if you think the fight between Israel and Palestine is
a Christian/Muslim war, you are dead wrong.
Have you asked yourself why the
voices the majority - those adherent to Judaism are not heard? As the war rages on, the world should bear in
mind that the price of war is stewed with the blood of the innocent. In the end,
it is the poor man, woman, children who bears the brunt. The global politics of
war is nothing but a business devoid of morality. Iran which is allegedly said
to sponsor Hamas has an interest to protect so also is America and the rest.
Both try to sustain the war
with their support and at the end sell their arms and amunitions to both
aggrieved parties while the common man continues to suffer and die. Oil prices
rise in war to the benefit of the members of the Organisation of the Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC). A whole lot fuels this crisis and it is only
genuine peace that is needed to put an end to the conflict.
It is observed that whenever it
comes to Israeli/Palestinian conflict people seem to express understanding of
fairness. Not genuine fairness in the right sense of it but on account of
religious beliefs separated by Christianity and Islam. We have refused to agree
that no matter what we believe in, Abraham was the father of both Ishmael and
Jacob - the symbols upon which the two religions are founded? In fact, these
are two brothers separated by the circumstances of their births always fighting
and killing each other.
Families bicker, siblings
fight, settle and move on. But not for Israel and Palestine. There are external
influences and motifs unwilling to allow peace rein. Unfortunately, justice,
equity, demand for a two-state solution have been swallowed by the opium of the
masses is activated based on the above factors.
If what you call justice, equity fairness and
a two-state solution is not globally applicable to any other place with the
same circumstances, you a hypocrite. President Joe Biden expectedly has
reiterated America’s support for Israeli. He said, “the United States and the
State of Israel are inseparable partners, and I affirmed to Prime Minister
Netanyahu that the United States will continue to make sure Israel has what it
needs to defend itself and its people.”
The world is already sharply
divided on this matter. This in itself had dangerously aggravated the
situation. The festering hopeless nature of the crisis was captured thus by an
analyst, “no one condones Palestinian or Israeli violence. And is it even
relevant whether the rest of us condone or not condone it? It has never stopped
either side from extreme violence anyway.” Condemnation aside, what would you
do if you were the Palestinians? Live under total Israeli subjugation. Leave?
Or die? Who is to blame, Israel or Hamas? Those are the questions.
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