Fides Media Living the Faith
By Nze Nwabueze Akabogu (JP)
The raging devastating war between Palestinian Terrorist Organization, Hamas and Israel which erupted on 7th October 2023 obviously portends grave danger to global peace and tranquility and if allowed to continue much longer could burst into terrible conflagration in the Middle East region as well as the possibility of great powers to get involved in the conflict.
Expectedly, the U.S, U.K, EU and Arab leaders were already pitching their tents and showing solidarity for the opposing belligerents across the divide. While the US, UK and EU were solidly behind Israel and promised immediate military aid to the Jewish state, the Arab leaders and their allies had equally offered unflinching material support to the beleaguered Palestinian people.
As the current conflict had already assumed monumental proportions, the US had moved her war ships to the Mediterranean as a show of force and deterrent against any possible escalation of the war by other powers in the region, notably, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon who are sworn adversaries of Israel.
The US had equally adopted international diplomacy in the conflict even as the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinkin had deployed shuttle diplomacy to reach out to Arab leaders in Amman-Jordan, Riyadh-Saudi Arabia, Cairo-Egypt and Abu-Dhabi-U.A.E as well as Israel aimed at easing the escalating tension in the region. US President Joe Biden had equally embarked on a surprise diplomatic visit to the region by his recent visit to Israel essentially to reaffirm United States unwavering support to Israel and re-echo US well known foreign policy to the effect that Israel has the right to defend herself against the deadly Palestinian Terrorist Organization Hamas.
President Biden was also scheduled to visit the Jordanian capital Amman for a meeting with the Arab leaders but the meeting was however cancelled at the last minute coming on the heels of the devastating bombing on the Al Alhi Baptist Hospital in Gaza city that claimed over five hundred lives including patients and hospital staff. Before his final departure from Israel, President Biden promised $100m humanitarian assistance to Gaza City.
In the meantime however, raging controversy had ensued between Hamas and Israel bordering on the issue of the side to hold responsible for the deadly bombing of the Baptist hospital in which more than five hundred people were massacred. Hamas and Palestine had blamed Israel for the bombing of the hospital while Israel on her own part had blamed Hamas for the rocket attack on the hospital claiming that the terrorist organization was responsible for the catastrophe through Hamas rocket that was fired from Gaza city.
The entire global community was appalled by this monumental tragedy in Gaza city even as the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting in New York to discuss the escalating crisis and unequivocally condemned the continuous loss of innocent lives in the conflict in Gaza city.
Meanwhile, Israel had advised Palestinians in Gaza city with a population of over one million people to immediately move out of Gaza city to the border with Egypt in the South even as Israel had already mobilized her troops and tanks for a possible ground invasion or assault on Gaza city. Israel since the outbreak of the war with Hamas had completely placed Gaza city under siege cutting off electricity, fuel and water supply to the over one million Palestinians.
In a similar vein, the US, UK, France, Germany and Canada had already embarked on the immediate evacuation of their citizens from Israel and other volatile cities in the Middle East as a precautionary measure. It is heartwarming and positive development therefore, that the International Community as well as the United Nations had called for urgent humanitarian aid to assist the already displaced Palestinians who currently are facing severe humanitarian crisis as well as total lack of basic necessities of life such as food, water, medicines or health facilities for thousands of women and children including the elderly and other vulnerable groups in Gaza City.
It is instructive to note in this piece however, that world leaders had called for restraint on the part of Israel in her military action to retaliate or avenge the senseless attack by Hamas against the people of Israel on 7th October, 2023 when the Islamic Jihadists Hamas, unleashed surprise attack at a festival event in Southern Israel and massacred many Israelis mainly women, children and the elderly numbering well over 1400 innocent people and took hostage of about 199 Israelis into Gaza city. According to press report nearly four thousand Palestinians had so far been killed and dozens injured in the conflict while some foreign nationals including US, German, French and British citizens also lost their lives in the senseless conflict.
At press time, it was reported that the Egyptian authorities had finally allowed about 20 trucks to convey humanitarian aid from Egyptian border into Southern Gaza city for the displaced Palestinians. This gesture by the Egyptians is highly commendable as it will obviously alleviate the sufferings of innocent Palestinians who were mere victims and made to bear the brunt of the war between Hamas and Israel.
The Egypt’s noble gesture could rightly be described as ‘humanity at work’. According to press report the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak had just arrived Israel for two days visit which will also take him to Saudi Arabia and other Arab capitals for talks with Arab leaders on the current conflict between Hamas and Israel.
In conclusion, it would be recalled that Palestine-Israel conflict which had remained intractable and volatile for many decades seemed to have defied all previous attempts by world leaders to find permanent solution to the endemic conflict and continuous blood-letting in the war-torn region.
It has become imperative therefore that the world leaders particularly US President Joe Biden and the United Nations Security Council as well as all lovers of humanity and peace should quickly seize the opportunity of the present catastrophic war between Hamas and Israel and urgently broker lasting peace in the Middle East Region through the revival or resuscitating of the long abandoned TWO STATES SOLUTION which is the only viable option or panacea for achieving lasting peace in the lingering and seemingly intractable conflict between Israel and Palestine and by so doing would avert the possible conflagration of the present conflict that portends a grave threat to global peace.
Nze Nwabueze Akabogu (JP) is a Regular Public Affairs
Commentator and Analyst.
He wrote from Enugwu-Ukwu, Anambra State.
G.S.M: 08074942671, 07037256684
E-mail: nzenwabuezeakabogu@yahoo.com
20th October, 2023