By Samuel Obedgiu
Rockets and artilleries have been flying like fireworks over Israel and Gaza since Saturday 7th /10/2023, the skies are tinted with dark smoke. The death tolls and numbers of casualties are sharply piling up on both sides. #WhisperEyeNews
According to the latest report, Palestinian authorities say so far 560 people have been killed and another 2,900 have been injured in Gaza due to the Israeli retaliatory air attacks, and in Israel, at least 900 people have died and 2,300 others have been injured by the Hamas forces. Already Israel has cut off all power, water and food supplies to the world’s largest open-air prison. No one is sure how the war will end, it could probably escalate more or even spill over to other countries.
But there is a big lesson to be learnt here by both west Asia and the world at large. Peace deals do not guarantee peace, certainly not the September 2020 Arab-Israeli also known as the Abraham Accords which appeared to be more of a political deal signed for the purpose of creating convenience and not addressing the primary objective which was the Palestinian question. Of course, at that point in time, the UAE wanted to leverage the Israeli powerful technology and the Israelis wanted recognition and that’s how the major issue ended up being marginalized and the minor prioritized. The dispute between Arabs and Israelis was not about technology, it was instead about Palestine which the peace deal never dealt with it.
This applies to the majority of conflicts globally. Take for instance that of Ukraine, in early 2014 a violent escalation broke out in eastern Ukraine. The Kyiv regime was on one side and an armed Russian separatist group was on the other side. As the fighting raged on, after the serious destruction of both lives and properties, conflicting sides held talks and eventually signed the Minsk agreement on September /5th/2014. The paperwork detailed strategies for a permanent solution for peace to prevail and persist in the region. But look at what is happening now, it has escalated into a full-scale war that has lasted for more than a year now and is affecting everyone either directly or indirectly.
Another justification for gaps and loopholes in peace deals is the unending Korean conflict. The two nations fought a war from 1950 – 1953 and after massive losses on both sides, they signed a cease-fire but not a peace deal in July /5th/1953. Look at them now, neighbours but also very dangerous enemies.
The Nagorno-Karabakh border conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the India and Pakistan conflict, name them. All these are unfinished conflicts that ended with deals that ignored the primary problems which could be land, race or religious conflicts. That’s not what a peace deal means, a peace deal solves a primary problem instead of ignoring it.
Another very big factor that is really jeopardizing global security the big power politics. Consider the latest havoc wrecked by the Hamas on the Israelites, that attack was not just premeditated, it was also very carefully and highly coordinated. A person may ask himself/herself where the Hamas militia acquired all the necessary facilitations and the thousands of rockets that they launched inside Israel on Saturday 7th 2023, well chances are high that they could have gotten them from Iran. In the Korean Peninsula, you have China, and in Eastern Ukraine you have Russia, these are all powerful countries that can invest a lot in conflict zones. But the most important question here is, “Who suffers in the end?”. Well, it’s the innocent children, women and elderly living in those areas.
Incomplete peace deals do not work, they only buy time. Nations should adopt an inclusive and comprehensive peace approach that will seek to tackle the real existential threats which could give room for proper reparations or formal apologies where applicable. It’s important to also address sectarian politics, bring elites and politicians to the same table and build trust that will then lay a firm foundation and forge a way forward to a long-lasting peace.
For global stability, it’s important that some kind of restrictions be put in place to help control the flow of weapons and capital. Militia groups or even some countries thrive because they get certain kinds of aid from somewhere. You may ask yourself how a country like North Korea has managed to come this far with the development of its nuclear arsenal. Well, the answer is clear, some sort of external assistance could have been smuggled in. Such weapons even make matters more complicated the more.
In conclusion, peace cannot be imposed. It has to be built on goodwill and cooperation with full and equal participation of all stakeholders. For bloodshed to end and peace to prevail between the Israelis and the Palestinians. I think it’s time the Palestinians be given the opportunity to speak for themselves and not via proxies of militia groups and when they do, the other side needs to listen. Enough blood of children, women and youths has already been shed, it’s time to build bridges and not walls.
Civic Human Rights Activist and Agricultural Scientist.
Email. sammyobedgiu@gmail.com
