Professor of Political Science at Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. Sylvester Akhaine, has argued that the intractable Middle East crisis cannot be understood outside the historical roots of European imperialism, the Jewish question, and the competing social forces that have shaped the region for more than a century.
Speaking at the foreign policy lecture series, themed The Middle East Crisis and Global Security organised by Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) in Lagos, Akhaine traced the conflict through its Arab–Israeli and Israeli–Palestinian dimensions, warning that many of the diplomatic efforts celebrated over the decades have failed because they do not confront the deeper structural contradictions driving the conflict.
Akhaine said the crisis is often discussed as a contest of nationalisms, Jewish and Arab, but insisted that this interpretation falls short. A more accurate analysis, he argued, lies in understanding imperial influence and material interests that have shaped state behaviour from the colonial period to the present.
He recalled that the persecution of Jews across Europe, culminating in the Holocaust, fuelled the push for a Jewish homeland and informed the 1917 Balfour Declaration, the British mandate over Palestine, and ultimately the UN Partition Resolution 181 of 1947.
While Israel accepted the partition, Arab states rejected it, viewing the creation of Israel as an attempt to fracture Arab unity and impose Western strategic interests on the region.
Akhaine said the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the rival ambitions of Britain, France and Russia, and later the Cold War competition between the United States and the Soviet Union entrenched the Middle East as a “theatre of superpower rivalry,” with Israel eventually emerging as Washington’s principal regional ally.
Reviewing the peace processes, Akhaine cited the Camp David diplomacy, the Egypt–Israel treaty, Jordan’s peace deal with Israel, and the back-channel negotiations that produced the 1993 Oslo Accords. He argued that Oslo recognised Palestinian nationalism distinct from Arab nationalism and created the Palestinian Authority, but failed to resolve core issues, borders, sovereignty, Israeli settlements, and the right of return for refugees.
He noted inconsistencies in Israeli policy, including support for Hamas during the 2006 Palestinian elections and the subsequent fragmentation of Palestinian political authority. This, he said, eroded the two-state framework and deepened mistrust.
Akhaine also criticised recent United States initiatives, including the Trump-era peace plan, describing it as a “new colonial enterprise” that ignored UN resolutions, sidelined Palestinian rights, and sought Arab endorsement without offering a viable statehood path. He pointed to oil and gas interests in Gaza, estimated at billions of dollars, as another layer influencing geopolitical manoeuvres.
Condemning Israel’s response to the October 7 Hamas attack as “collective punishment,” the don said the scale of civilian casualties has weakened Israel’s moral standing and underscored Europe’s role in sustaining the conflict.
“There are few European states not supplying arms to Israel,” he said, adding that Europe “created this crisis” and must be central to its resolution.
On the question of solutions, Akhaine argued that a return to a one-state arrangement is unrealistic given decades of distrust. He maintained that a two-state solution remains the only workable path, but must be reimagined to allow Israelis settled in the West Bank and Gaza to retain civil rights within a future Palestinian state.
He added that economic interdependence, including shared use of water and natural resources, makes separation impossible without negotiated arrangements that recognise the interests of both sides.
Calling the Middle East crisis “a creation of Europe with global consequences,” Akhaine urged renewed international engagement anchored on UN resolutions, equitable resource sharing, and an acknowledgment of the historical injustices that have shaped the conflict.
Director General, NIIA, Prof Eghosa Osaghae, said whatever happens in that region affects global prosperity and security, stating that the Middle East is central for producing tensions the has been witnessed in global politics.
He noted that the lecture has exposed complex issues and possible solutions, showcasing that it is overly simplistic to think of the issues involving Palestinians and Israeli states, when intact we have severally underlying factors and social forces that needs to be taken into consideration.
“The lecturer thinks that the crisis would do a lot better without unilateral action by very powerful states,” Prof. Eghosa added.
