A Nigerian university lecturer has explained why the apex organ of the United Nations, the UN Security Council has yet to take a decisive move to stop the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas militants in Palestine.
The conflict began on October 7 when Hamas militants infiltrated Southern Israel and killed over a thousand Israelis, among other foreign nationals.
The Israeli government subsequently approved a military operation to take out Hamas militants.
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As of November 10, the UN humanitarian agency (OCHA) revealed the death toll in Gaza has crossed 11,078.
While the conflict is ongoing, the UN Security is unable to stop the crisis.
On November 15, U.N. Security Council only voted in resolution calling for a pause in the fighting to allow humanitarian aid to civilians.
But the UN permanent members like the U.S., U.K. and Russia abstained from voting.
Speaking with THE WHISTLER, Dr. Riya’uddeen Maitama, a foreign affairs analyst and international relations lecturer at Bayero University, said the failure of the United Nations Security Council to take a
stand over the Israel-Palestine conflict is connected to Western policies in the Arab world.
He explained however that the conflict has been in existence since after the second world war but that the foreign policies of the United States and its Western allies are playing a role in the conflict between Arabs and the Israelis.
He said, “These connections between the Jews that are based in Europe and America and those Jews influencing the politics of Europe and America are the ones directing and shaping the foreign policies of US and its Western allies in support of Israel in its occupation of Palestinian territories.
“So, because of these relations, you hardly see a very significant position of the US to push for a United Nations Security Council, to take a position against Israel.
“That may be difficult to happen, or what I can say, it may never happen.”
The don said the forces supporting the Palestinians are very weak and do not have any veto power in UN to veto any position that is in support of Israel.
He explained that the UNSC has five permanent members and these members have veto powers on any decision that is not in line with their interest.
He said all the five permanent members of the UN Security Council( US, Russia, France, UK and China) are “either key allies of Israel or they are neutral to Israel and its war with the Palestinians.”
He said with the US-Israel relations, the UN Security Council cannot take any key decision to condemn or take any decisive action against Israel.
He explained that the world is operating on UN mechanisms and where there’s only one super power which is US(a key ally of Israel).
“We can never have a UN Security Council that can be critical of Israel over its abuses in the Palestinian conflict.
“We shall understand that the Israelis have penetrated the US, they have a strong lobby group and they form significant decision-making circle of the US government and private sector.
“The Jews are economically powerful and they are politically powerful in U.S,” he said.
He stressed that economy and politics “are key instruments that shape America’s foreign policy and it is central to US and determines its relations to other countries. This is why the UN Security Council is
so weak to take decisive action. Israel’s relations with the US is the key factor.”