Experts Tell Neusroom What Will Happen If Nigeria Takes Side In The Israel-Palestine Conflict

On October 7, 2023, Israel experienced one of the worst unprovoked attacks in 50 years when Hamas, a Palestinian political group recognised as a terrorist organisation by the international community, launched thousands of airstrikes that resulted in the deaths of nearly a thousand people.

In a matter of hours, Israel initiated coordinated airstrikes in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, a densely populated area of 360 square kilometers that borders Israel to the East and North.

“Israel is at war. We didn’t want this war. It was forced upon us in the most brutal and savage way. But although Israel didn’t initiate this war, Israel will bring it to an end,” stated Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu in an official broadcast on Monday, October 9, 2023.

In 10 days, 4,200 fatalities have been recorded from both sides of the conflict. According to Reuters, more than 1,300 Israelis were killed in Hamas’s Saturday attack on Israel, while over 2,300 Palestinians have lost their lives in the series of bombardments that have rocked Gaza.

In the midst of the ongoing crisis, which has garnered international attention, various countries have issued statements either in support of Israel or Palestine.

In a joint statement, President Macron of France, Chancellor Scholz of Germany, Prime Minister Meloni of Italy, Prime Minister Sunak of the United Kingdom, and President Biden of the United States called Hamas a terrorist group and expressed their united support for Israel.

“Our countries will support Israel in its effort to defend itself and its people against such atrocities,” the statement issued on October 9, 2023, reads in part.

Australia, Norway, India, and Austria are other countries that have thrown their support behind Israel in the ongoing crisis.

In Africa, countries are divided. While Kenya, Zambia, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have declared their support for Israel, South Africa, a country that suffered under apartheid for many years, described the recent escalation of the conflict as a result of Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine and desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, as well as sacred Christian sites.

However, the Nigerian government, led by President Bola Tinubu, has called for a “de-escalation and ceasefire” but has refrained from taking sides with either Hamas, Palestine, or Israel.

“The cycle of violence and retaliation that the current escalation has assumed only serves to perpetuate an unending cycle of pain and suffering for the civilian population that bears the brunt of every conflict. The Federal Government of Nigeria, therefore, calls on both sides to exercise restraint, prioritize the safety of civilians, and make room for humanitarian considerations,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, in a statement.

Neusroom spoke with experts, who shared different views on why Nigeria should or shouldn’t take sides.

Dr. Robert Ekat, a political analyst, explained that Nigeria, whose population is almost equally divided between Muslim and Christian adherents, is carefully navigating a fine line to avoid offending any religious group.

“Religion can be considered a significant factor in the Israel-Palestine conflict, and since Nigeria is almost evenly split between Christianity and Islam, it is prudent for Nigeria not to take sides,” he said.

On the religious fallout that can result when Nigeria takes sides, Ajibola, a political scientist who has written extensively on the Israel-Palestine conflict, claimed that Nigeria is registered as a secular state with no one official religion, and hence can take sides based on the country’s foreign policies and not religion.

However, Nigeria’s religious diversity sometimes results in some level of intolerance. Various posts examined by Neusroom reveal that many Nigerians are taking sides based on their religious orientations. With 53.5 percent Muslims and 45.9 percent Christians, social issues and conflicts are often viewed through the lens of religion. Nigeria’s religious polarization is perhaps recently heightened by the awareness that President Bola Tinubu and his Vice, Karim Shettima, are both Muslims.

“From the perspective of Nigerian foreign policy, we need to take a stand with the Palestinians. But we have to also condemn the attack by the Hamas. The Palestinian cause is more than Hamas,” Ajibola said.

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He continued “Nigeria has, historically, been supportive of the Palestinian cause, on the grounds that Nigeria does not support the occupation of any country by any other, right from the apartheid in South Africa.”

While 55 countries out of 193 United Nations (UN) member states do not officially recognize Palestine as a sovereign state, Nigeria acknowledged the country as a nation in November 1988, just three days after Palestine declared independence. Additionally, Nigeria recognizes Israel as a state and has maintained bilateral relations since diplomatic ties were restored in September 1992.

But Ajibola claimed that Nigeria should take sides in the conflict based on its stand on the oppression of others.

“Some countries that are supporting Israel today are doing so because of the Hamas terror attack, which stands condemned, but there has been injustice meted out to the Palestinians for long,” he said.

Another analyst, who wishes to be identified as Sade, said that developing nations do not have so much to take as regards decisions at the international system.

“The status quo reveals a predominance of states located primarily in the global north. This trend is indicative of a growing inclination to align with the decisions put forth by the United Nations, an international body that has repeatedly censured the Israeli nation for perceived acts of intolerance,”

Also, Dr. Robert believes that Nigeria has no justification to meddle in the Israel-Palestine conflict by taking sides.

“First, Hamas is considered a terrorist group, and they attacked Israel. Even though Palestinians might not view Hamas as a terrorist group, as it is a political party in the country, as it stands now, it would not be diplomatically wise for Nigeria to take a side, particularly knowing that we don’t have a strong stake in both countries,” he said.