On October 7, 2023, the definition of humanity received a huge question mark due to the magnitude of Hamas atrocities on fellow humans in parts of Israel. The deadly invasion took the Israel-Palestinian enmity to another dimension.
The events of that day and the after-math sadly depict humanity’s darkest side and disregard for common humanity contrary to what the world largely demonstrated during COVID-19 pandemic. Enemy nations had moments to sheath their swords for the sake of common humanity during the pandemic but that was nearly not the case with these particular mortal enemies.
The lessons learnt from the relationship between the conjoined enemies during the pandemic suggested a need for more mutual political trust and commitment in terms of improving the level of respect for the respective sovereign identities of both parties. The UN and indeed the world failed in helping both Israel and Palestine in moving more closely towards achieving the above objectives in the months and years after the pandemic.
Instead, since the pandemic, the world witnessed new aggressions from Russia on Ukraine, from Israel on Hamas, the aggression of the Sudanese armed forces on their own country.
Other aggression since the pandemic include the Ethiopian and Eritrean military aggression on Tigray, the assassination of the Haitian president and the consequential acceleration of the country into pariah State, the unconscionable military coup and military aggression in Myanmar, the Azerbaijan and Armenia conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, and lastly, the M23 militant havoc on the people of the eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo. Since the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the idea of peace in the Arab world had since become dicey, and the desire for a two-state solution a mirage.
President Joe Biden and his cabinet repeatedly warn the Israelis to exercise restraint to the hearing of Israelallies and foes alike. His caution for the consideration of the ‘day-after’ seems to fall on deaf ears. The American caution came in the midst of a conflicting assurance to Israel that its support for it is Iron-clad no matter what (emphasis mine). By the September 27, 2024, just few days to the anniversary of the current conflict, the true meaning of American rhetoric on the ‘day-after’ appears to be now clear to the world.
I am now convinced like many around the world that this war is a proxy war between Israel and a puppet-master some thousands of miles away from Gaza even though Palestinian themselves wanted nothing more than revenge on Israel. The Iranian alliance in the region known as the Axis of Resistance is the vehicle of Iran desired suppression of Israel. The Israeli sees the alliance as the ‘Axis of Evil’ thereby seeking any opportunity to settle scores with it once and for all. Sadly, the Israeli blinded anger is triggering escalation and crossing of several dangerous red lines in a bid to provoke the alliance.
This is a move that could be disastrous and spell doom for the region. At a point, an Israeli response on the alliance provoked Iran and its allies in unleashing unprecedented amount of drones and projectiles in the direction of Israel. Luckily, the U.S., European allies and other allies in the region rallied around Israel to neutralise the threats leaving Israel with almost no scratch.
The Iranian reaction could have been more devastating but for the U.S. influence and military presence in nearby waters. As if that was not enough, Israelis continue to trigger escalations of more serious dimension.
One disturbing factor in all of these is that Israel did not disguise the intent of unleashing collective punishment on its enemies. Israeli aggression on the Palestine and Lebanese civilians is in reaction to their tacit support or sympathy for militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, especially where they allow themselves to be used consciously or unconsciously as human shield.
Hamas played very easily into Israel hands right from the onset of the crisis. The Israelis, who appears to have very advance and detailed Intel on the more distant and more sophisticated Hezbollah, surprisingly look naïve and bereft of the magnitude of Hamas depth and capacity.
This now appears to be a calculated strategy to lure Hamas and its allies more into the war. Similarly, Hamas haste in torpedoing the possibility of extending the first ceasefire deal was used by Israel as a pretext to continue the pounding of cornered Palestinians in Gaza with vengeance despite domestic and international outcriesand despite still having its citizens under unimaginable conditions in captivity on the besieged strip.
Hamas failed to realise that the Israeli government is completely on another mission which it hinted on right from the onset of the crisis. Common sense should have dictated that a ceasefire hostage deal towards a more permanent ceasefire should have been the major concern for it. Conceding to a temporary Israeli presence at the Gaza borderwith Egypt is in my view not serious enough to deny the stretched, stressed and battered Gaza citizens a little letup.
Surprisingly, the American president, a political veteran and old warhorse in international diplomacy appears to be completely vulnerable in weighing in on Israel’s aggression on Gaza. Joe Biden in my view reduced himself to almost a joke preaching the possibility of a ceasefire deal that appears feasible only to him.
It is now viewed as a ploy by the U.S. and its allies to quell some of the animosities against them at home, especially following the defeat of the Conservative Party in the British 2024 election. No one should be surprised that the American approach is a complete political and diplomatic decoy in supporting Israel indirectly towards achieving all its war-time goals against Hamas with a bonus goal against other members of the so-called Iran’s Axis of Evil.
The lesson to be learnt from this American novel diplomatic approach varies. First, there is a need to rethink the UNSC as I have stated a number of times. The rules of engagement on international arm-conflicts need to be revisited. The use of human beings as shields with or without the active knowledge of the victims is to be strictly considered a war-crime and a crime against humanity.
In war-time, both the aggressor and the target, especially the targets, should be made to face severe consequence for that crime. Clearly, the wars of the future will be more devastating and colossal in Armageddon proportion if we fail to nip this kind of crime in the bud now. This is an existential threat particularly due to the cloudy horizon of nuclear rhetoric and artificial intelligence.
As one of those that maintained since October 2023 that America will not abandon Israel in the on-going crisis no matter what, especially at the UNSC, the U.S. should realise that the whole world is critically watching it play double standard. The Global North clearly is not helping itself by strengthening the argument for multilateralism with its actions and inactions.
The world now feels like it can no longer take the word of the west hook line and sinker anymore. It is now time for the U.S. and is allies to reign in on Israel to deescalate. Israel should be stopped from going further afield inside Lebanon. It should know as we saw on October 7 that a cornered rat always fights back. Iran must also be restrained from venturing more actively into this crisis even in the face of provocation.
The region and indeed the world need a break from needless conflicts. The U.S. new tactical decoy diplomacy cloaked at eliminating threats in the Arab world to its interest and allies should also stop forthwith as it may spell doom in the long run. You may win a war on the field with might, but you cannot win disaffection with might.
As long there is deep rooted disaffection, a war is far from over. After all, Joe Biden clearly seems to understand this philosophy as he stated in his farewell message to world leaders at the 2024 UNGA that it is the people, and not power, that should matter in political considerations.
Fayemi, a Lawyer, wrote from Lagos.
