“As a non-permanent member of the 15-nation body United Nations
Security Council (UNSC) Nigeria will cast a vote on Palestinians’ bid to have a
nation of their own. This vote may be the decisive vote that will free Palestine
from humiliation, oppression, pain and death. Although the Obama Administration
has promised a rogue veto once the voting is in favor of Palestine, US and
Israel have been putting enormous lobbying resources and crude pressure on the
members of the UNSC, including Nigeria, to prevent the need and shame of using
the veto. At this crucial time, the Nigerian government, media and people must
do the right thing; we must remember the glorious role we played in supporting
the victims of the racist policy of apartheid in South Africa, examine our
conscience and do the right thing again. There is no reason for us to behave
differently now because the policy that Israel pursues in the occupied
territories is similar to that of Apartheid. President Goodluck Jonathan must
consider very seriously the choices that Nigeria has to make: support the
oppressed in throwing off the yoke of oppression or turn her face away from
oppression. If Nigeria opposed apartheid in the 80s, why should she tolerate it
20 years later? Nigeria already recognizes the Palestinian nation and voting
against its legalization at the UN will be a direct contradiction to our foreign
policy objectives in relation to the conflict. As it did during the dark era of
Apartheid, Nigeria must now show its true friendship towards the oppressed and
not succumb to the tremendous pressure that the US will put on the
administration to vote against the bid or abstain. Nothing will benefit Nigeria
by abstaining or voting against freedom for the oppressed. It is clear to the
whole world that US is a partner-in- crime to Israel. Such a blatantly biased
party cannot claim to be a peace broker and convener of any credible negotiation
that the Palestinians should commit their future to. The Jerusalem Post (
20/09/11 ) reports that “Ehud Barak has convinced Nigeria to
not support the Palestinian statehood bid, statement from the Defense Ministry
reported on Tuesday. As part of the lobbyi ng efforts, Defense Minister Ehud
Barak met in New York Tuesday with President Goodluck Jonathan. The meeting was
set up about a week earlier, and – according to the statement put out by Barak’s
office – was coordinated both with Netanyahu and the US.”
The Permanent
Secretary of Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has denied this report.
Palestinians have endured over 40 years of the most brutal occupation, including
18 years of useless negotiations- a theatrical exhibition organized by the U S
to provide excuse for Israel to intensify and consolidate illegal settlement
expansion activities. Palestinians have carried out peaceful protests to shake
off a long running oppression and acts of racism. Thousands of their sons and
daughters are in Israeli jails for no other reason than their refusal to be
slaves in their own homeland. The people of Gaza, still living under siege, have
become guinea pigs for Israel to field-test and eventually market new horrific
weapons specifically designed for powerless urban populations, such as white
phosphorous bombs, and remote controlled predator drones which it used purposely
to target children playing on roofs. During Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in
December 2008 , U.S-supplied F-16s rained hellfire on
a trapped people and ethnic cleansing became full scale genocide. On October 4,
2006 , 135 former
presidents, prime ministers, foreign and defense ministers, congressional
leaders and heads of international organizations issued a joint call for urgent
international action to end Palestinian misery. In their statement, they
declared that the conflict must end in order to assure “security and full
recognition to the state of Israel within internationally recognized borders,
and end to the occupation for the Palestinian people in a viable independent,
sovereign state, and the return of lost land”. The World Conference against
Racism (WCAR), an international event organized by UNESCO, in the edition held
in Durban (31 Aug-18 Sept 2001 ) themed “World
Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related
Intolerance”, declared Israeli’s state policy of Zionism and treatment of the
Palestinians as racism. It was at this event that Nigeria led other nations to
demand for apologies (from countries responsible for slavery, recognition of it
as a crime against humanity) and for reparations. These are some of the facts
that Nigeria must remember at this crucial time that God has placed it in a
position to set a whole nation free from tyranny and oppression. These are the
important things to remember when taking decisions on the crucial vote at the
Security Council. The United States and Israel know they are playing a losing
game. They have placed themselves on the wrong side of justice and have refused
to take important lesions in history. Majority of world nations support the
Palestinian right to statehood. It is in our national interest to stand for
justice at this junction in history. Nigeria now has an important opportunity to
make its voice heard through its vote at the UNSC and make a difference. Let us
change the world together and grant to the Palestinians, Christians and Muslims,
the promise we all need as human beings: The promise of dignity.
By Disu Kamor
Culled from the Vanguard
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