The war in the Middle East is taking another turn. The killing in the Gaza Strip is gaining the attention of the world. The world must find urgent solutions to this longstanding war.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Antonio Guterres, stated that “17,171 Palestinians have been killed, about 8,000 of them children. Women are not spared. Many hospitals and schools have been destroyed. About 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced.” Why has the world remained silent?
This means that nowhere is safe in the Gaza Strip. Even the oldest mosque in Gaza Strip, built between the 5th and 7th centuries, was destroyed today. Can this war lead to serious regional conflicts? What will be the response of the Arab nations? Can this war escalate to global conflict, or can it be resolved through negotiation and mediation processes? This is one of the most challenging situations in human history. Can solutions be found?
Professor Steven Cook, author of the book “The End of Ambition” and a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in the United States, says that “the two-state solution, the formula, needs to be functional, and the US policy is very rigid.” There are competitors in the world, such as China and India, and India has a strong influence in the Middle East. This implies that the current global leader, the United States of America, should be strategic because this war between Israel and Palestine will not solve the problems in the Middle East. In other words, all the efforts made by Secretary of State Blinken in moving from one country to another will not resolve the issues between Israel and Palestine. Care must be taken to address the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians. Otherwise, the problem may escalate into a serious regional war or involve the world’s superpowers and even emerging nations, potentially plunging the world into an economic crisis deeper than those of 1938, 2008, and 2021.
This author believes that the solution to the war between Israel and Palestine lies in the two-state solution, and the agreement must involve all the Arab nations, the 57 Muslim countries, and current global competitors like China and India, as well as the European nations.
While Article 99 of the United Nations Charter only requires the approval of nine countries and does not require a veto, the question remains: can immediate humanitarian ceasefire based on Article 99 solve the problems?
Palestinians face serious challenges: lack of medicines in hospitals, water, food, fuel, and shelter. They are in desperate need of tremendous assistance. The United Nations reports that humanitarian assistance is not functioning in the Gaza Strip.
What about a peacekeeping operation in this 75-year crisis? Can that solve the problem? Although the creation of the United Nations Charter in 1948, after World War II, has regulated the activities of the United Nations, there is no chapter directly related to “Peacekeeping Operations.” The former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Darghamasho (considered one of the most famous UN Secretaries ever), was quoted as saying that “the issue of Peacekeeping Operation is between Chapter 6 and Chapter 7 of the UN Charter.” However, there is no Chapter 6 1/2 in the United Nations Charter to this day.
The United Nations (UN) has deployed soldiers to countless countries worldwide for peacekeeping operations. So, why can’t the United Nations send a peacekeeping operation for this war between the Israelis and Palestinians?
Abbati Bako, psc, bsis, Kent, UK
Political Strategy and Communication, Analyst in International Politics, and Former Special Adviser to the Governor Ganduje (OFR) on Public Affairs
