By Andrew Oota
The Nigerian Senate yesterday condemned the ongoing fighting between Israel and Hamas which led to death of some Palestine and asked the Federal Government of Nigeria and the United Nations to push for a two state solution between the warring parties to bring a lasting solution to the hostilities.
This was on the heels of a motion moved by senator Kawu Sumaila who drew attention to the 1948 United Nations solution to partition Palestine into two states; one for the Jews and the other for the Arabs.
According to the motion which was seconded by senator Adamu Aliero,Kebbi Central and titled “ Urgent need to call for ceasefire on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas/Palestine,the upper chambers urged all relevant stakeholders to take necessary measures towards ending the imbroglio with a view to saving lives and properties.
Speaking with Journalists in his office afterwards, senator Kawu pointed out that the war was not anywhere near a religious one,rather he described the war as a land oriented issue which “if not well handled could result to a third world war”.
He stated that “ the Israel – Palestine conflict is a complex and long standing conflict that has been ongoing for over 100 years. The battle is rooted in competing claims to the land of Israel and Palestine and has been marked by violence, displacement, and suffering on both sides.
“The conflict began in the early 1900s as Jewish immigrants from Europe began to settle in Palestine, which was then part of the Ottoman empire. The influx of Jewish immigrants led to tensions with the Palestine Arab population,who felt that their land was being taken away from them.
“ The war also led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, who became refugees. Many of these refugees remain in refugee camps in the West Bank,Gaza Strip and neighbouring Arab countries”.
Quoting United Nations figures, he lamented that following the breakout of the war in October 2023, “18 places of worship; 11 mosques and 7 churches have been destroyed by Israeli Air strikes with 22,600 residential units destroyed as well.
He further said that 49 media offices, 70 industrial facilities,20 ambulances and 19 medical centers had been destroyed while over 8000 deaths were recorded with women, children and Press men accounting for more than 62% of the fatalities while more than 15,273 people had been injured.
