By Kayode Emola
The world woke up to yet another barbaric attack last week Saturday when Hamas fighters entered the Israeli territory and killed over a thousand people. It was indeed a shock to Israel and to the rest of the world including the Arab world.
It may take a while before we fully understand the motivation for Hamas carrying out this dastardly attack but one thing is certain, the end result of this war will be devasting for both Israel and Hamas. Israel in its bid to take revenge for her murdered citizens is preparing for ground invasion of Gaza, an exercise that would leave a bitter scar for many generations to come.
There are no victors in any war according to Neville Chamberlain, former British Prime Minister 1937 – 1940, but all are losers. That does not mean that Israel should fold her hands and do nothing. However, the retaliation has to be proportionate as there are millions of innocent civilians that would be caught up in the crossfire.
Hamas, definitely knew that it is no match for Israel’s military might, yet it wasn’t deterred to poke the bear and dare the consequences. The resultant effect of that wicked attack on 7 October will reverberate for many years to come. The planned offensive of Gaza by Israel to free the hundreds of hostages taken by Hamas can only lead to more suffering and death of millions of people.
I will urge the world leaders to prevail on the Israeli authority as it prepares to attack Gaza to respect international protocols to ensure that innocent people do not suffer unnecessarily especially vulnerable women and children. The lives of the Palestinians must also matter as any wrong move may see a repeat of the Russian/Ukraine conflict capable of inflicting pain and suffering not only to the warring party but the entire world population.
There is no doubt that the Israeli – Hamas conflict is capable of destabilising the Middle East for many years to come. There needs to be a lasting solution agreeable to both parties. Even though there can be no trust for each other for generations to come, the both countries must learn to co-exist with each other.
The Israeli conflict brings home the Nigeria situation where the major ethnic nationalities have not managed their co-existence very well. There is the sentiment that only one region gets the majority of the juicy government appointments when someone from that region heads the country. This has proved fatal for national development which is forcing poverty on tens of millions of people.
It would be better if the Nigerian State were to set aside a framework that would allow a debate on how it wants to pursue its future. This would ensure that we do not have to go to war to decide our future. Some people may say the Nigerian situation is different from the Palestinians, we should remember that we were not one country before the British colonised and amalgamated us. Ever since we have merely been tolerating each other.
The Palestinians had put up with being blockaded for 17 years before this recent attack, they must have felt there is no other solution than to attack Israel to draw attention to their plight. Whoever advised Hamas that this was a viable way of expressing their frustration, may have misled them into a false belief.
The millions of innocent Palestinians living in Gaza are no doubt going to be the bearers of the brunt of this present conflict. It is important that the world does not neglect them. They are also victims and should not be treated as accomplices who need to be punished.
As the Middle East boils in the Israel/Palestine conflict, I hope our Yoruba leaders and elders will learn one or two lessons from the imbroglio. We must avoid ceding our lands to foreigners and begin to develop our own people. That is the only way we can survive in this perilous world. I urge everyone to pray for peace to reign in this difficult time for the world.
