Israelis led somber ceremonies this week to mark the deadliest attack in the country's history. On the other side of the border, Hamas marked the October 7 attack by firing a barrage of rockets at Tel Aviv, underscoring it's military resilience.
The Israel-Hamas war began when Hamas-led militant groups launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which involved a barrage rocket and a few thousand militants breaching the Gaza-Israel border.
Hamas said it's attack was in response to Israel's continued occupation and expansion of settlements into Gaza; Israel's disregard of international law and alleged threats to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the general plight of Palestinians.
The commemorations came soon after the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) where Heads of State and Government gathered in New York to discuss global issues. Topical on the agenda was of course the security concerns in Israel, and the geopolitical turmoil in Ukraine.
Now, the United Nations Security Council, (UNSC) as one of the six principal organs of the United Nations is charged with ensuring international peace and security.. However ,there are only five permanent members and these include, Russia, China, France, the United States of America and the United Kingdom.The UNSC is the only UN body with authority to issue resolutions that are binding on member states.
Surely in a game of football, one cannot be a player and a referee at the same time. Well in the game of international geopolitics, it appears the world has accepted self-appointed prefects of global governance. The late president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe will be remembered for his famous speech at the 26th Ordinary Session of the African Union Summit, where he drew the attention of the-then UN Secretary General Mr. Ban-Ki-moon and said, "We have asked and asked and asked, reform, reform the Security Council".
Fellow African Heads of State and Government who made part of the audience in the auditorium in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia gave Mugabe a standing ovation cheer, clapping their hands and whistling in support of what President Mugabe had reiterated.
I think Mr. Mugabe was right. We have Russia attacking Ukraine and yet it has permanent veto powers in an organ mandated to promote global peace and security. We have the United States and its allies taking sides in the Israel-Hamas war and imposing economic embargos on some member states, it's not right.
Africa, a continent of 1.3 billion people with several political unrests and conflicts does not have any representation on the prefects table. The question as to which country should represent Africa as a permanent member state of the UNSC between Nigeria and South Africa is for the African Union Assembly to decide.
The Palestinian people would have hoped for a negotiated ceasefire especially after the bosses met in New York in September. Israel had their fingers crossed too but still, the UNSC once again failed to fulfill it's primary mandate and restore peace in Gaza. The council has let down the people of Ukraine, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Venezuela, the list goes on.
I have always submitted that, if there is money to finance war, ideas and strategies to win a battle, then they should be resources to finance peace, as well as negotiation strategies and peacemaking mechanisms to save the lives of innocent civilians.
The point of the matter is that, as long as these sub-regional, regional and international organizations continue their stance of selective application of their mandates, then heads of states and government will attend these talkshow sessions as voiceless participants.
In March 2024, the UNSC passed Resolution 2728, demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, particularly during the month of Ramadan. The resolution also calls for the unconditional release of all hostages. To be fair the organ has tried to explicitly demand for a ceasefire and expand humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza strip but this is not what the people of Palestine and Israel want. They want more. They want an end to the war.
As stated above, despite the March, 2024 UNSC resolution, it's implementation remains challenging due to conflicting interests and resistance from parties involved. While one recognizes the complexity of the conflict in Gaza, serious and intentional diplomatic efforts by permanent members who have veto powers can bring Israel and Hamas to the negotiation table.
Russia, China and the United States have fundamental roles to play. If they don't take deliberate action soon, more somber ceremonies and anniversary commemorations will be held next October.
@JSimang0