Di international chessboard dey shake again sake of armed conflict.
Almost two years afta di Russian invasion of Ukraine start, di world dey watch as anoda war dey unfold – Di one wey Israel launch against Hamas, afta di attacks di radical Islamist group carry out on dia territory on October 7, wey don lead to di death of 1,400 and around 230 kidnapped.
As di Israeli bombings and attacks on Gaza Strip dey spread and di number of civilian victims dey grow – already more dan 9,000 dis Thursday, according to Palestinian authorities, for different parts of di world, some pipo don dey take position to either support Israel or condemn Hamas action.
On Tuesday, Bolivia break off dia relationship wit Israel. Dis na in rejection of di “aggressive and disproportionate military offensive” against Gaza. dem be di first kontri to do so.
Meanwhile, Colombia, Chile and Honduras don recall dia ambassadors to Israel for consultations sake of di “massacre of di Palestinian pipo” plus di “unacceptable violations of international humanitarian law for di Gaza Strip”.
Dis week, two Muslim kontris – Jordan and Bahrain – bin also withdraw dia ambassadors from Israel.
Meanwhile, kontris wey be traditional allies to Israeli goment don begin dey hear voices wey dey call for a cease-fire or a pause for di bombing for humanitarian reason, as citizen protests sake of di desperate situation of Gazans dey spread.
Strong supporters of Israel
“America tanda wit di pipo of Israel, we no go ever stop to dey stand behind dem (…) My goment support for Israel security dey rock solid and no dey shake.”
Wit these words wey e tok afta di October 7 attacks, di US President Joe Biden don confam di US superpower position as Israel main political, economic and military ally.
Since di Hamas attacks, di White House don show solid support for Benjamin Netanyahu goment. First, di Secretary of State Antony Blinken bin visit Israel before President Biden imself later visit di kontri.
In addition, Washington bin send two aircraft carriers from dia fleet go Israel shores to protect dia Middle Eastern ally.
America president – wey don reject call for ceasefire for Gaza – dey press im kontri Congress to approve one aid package of more dan US$14 billion for Israel military defense.
For Mariano Aguirre, associate fellow for Chatham House (UK) foreign policy think tank tok say US support dey “fundamental” for Israel security.
For di second place on di list of Israel allies, Aguirre put UK and some members of di European Union (EU) like Germany, France or Italy, and Eastern European kontris like Hungary or di Czech Republic.
“Di EU dey support Israel on Hamas, but not on di Palestinians (…) dia position no dey well defined like dat of US,” Alfredo Rodríguez Gómez, director of Master in International Security for di International University of La Rioja (Spain), explain to BBC Mundo.
Rodríguez dey refer to di fact say European kontris dey consider Islamist radicals as terrorist organization, but dem defend di right of Palestinian pipo to get dia own state.
Aguirre, on im part tok say di support of European kontris na wit condition say make Israel carry out dia operations against Hamas wit respect for International Humanitarian Law, wey mean say, “make dem no punish civilian population sake of am.”
Dis go explain di turns wey kontris like Spain, wey dia President, Pedro Sanchez, bin go from condemning Hamas attacks and recognizing Israel right to defend itself “within international law” to im call for urgent cease-fire and e express im “legitimate” doubts on top di legality of Israeli military actions.
Meanwhile, for di UK, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and members of im cabinet dey loyal in dia defense of Israel and dia military campaign for Gaza.
In fact, Conservative MP Paul Bristow bin lose im job for di British goment because e ask Sunak to support a ceasefire on humanitarian grounds.
As di Israeli military campaign dey go on and di death toll for Gaza dey rise, European and U.S. leaders don begin introduce levels to dia positions. Dis one show as President Biden bin call on Israel to “pause” dia operations for Gaza to facilitate di delivery of aid give civilians.
I stand wit Palestinians, but not wit Hamas
“Di Palestinian cause gada plenty international support. Dis one show for 2012 wen di UN General Assembly accept Palestine as an observer state,” Aguirre explain, wey clear am say dis support no include Hamas or oda similar groups like Islamic Jihad.
For im part, Rodriguez Gomez point out say among di main allies of di Palestinians na “Muslim kontris, including those wey sign di Abraham Accords for 2020 and establish relations wit Israel [United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain and Sudan].”
So, Jordan and Bahrain decision to recall dia ambassadors from Israel dey important.
Di Jordanians bin normalize relations wit Israel wit di 1994 signing of a peace agreement, while di Persian Gulf state do same tin for 2020 wit U.S. driven agreements.
Muslim kontris don show dia support for di United Nations for a ceasefire for Gaza and for places like Egypt, Lebanon and Morocco, plenty protests dey go in support of di Palestinians.
Wetin be African leaders own for dis kasala
South Africa don also say dem dey recall all of dia diplomats from Tel Aviv afta Israel serious air strikes on Gaza on Sunday night.
Di bombardment na one of Israel heaviest since di war begin a month ago.
According to Gaza City Al-Shifa hospital, about 200 pipo die for di attack.
South Africa government, wey don for long be vocal supporter of di Palestinian cause, strongly condemn Israel on Monday.
African leaders bin don ask di warring parties for di Israel-Gaza kasala make dem match break.
Di African Union for statement say di kasala burst becos of di “denial of di fundamental rights of di Palestinian pipo, especially dat of a free and sovereign state.”
AU commission chair pesin Moussa Faki add say, “di chair pesin urgently beg di two parties to end di military gbas gbos and to go back without conditions to di negotiating table to adapt di principle of two states living side to side, to safeguard di interests of di Palestinian pipo and di Israeli pipo.”
Ghana bin don ask Palestinian Hamas leadership to take immediate action and comot from southern Israel afta dem condemn di attacks on Israel by militants.
For statement wey dem bin drop, di goment of Ghana tell di two parties make dem reduce dia anger and start to dey tok again.
Dem also ask Israel to sufri for dia response to Hamas attacks.
Nigeria bin warn say, “di cycle of violence and retaliation wey di current kasala bring go only continue unending cycle of pain and suffering for di civilian pollution wey go carry di load for all di kasala.”
Uganda Yoweri Museveni also call for di warring parties to di “two states solution” for statement on 7 October, wia e say e regret di violence.
But Sudan Ministry of Foreign Affairs don back Palestine as dis new kasala take start.
For statement wey State news agency Suna post for dia Facebook page, dem say, “Sudan dey follow di dangerous developments wey dey currently happun for occupied Palestine. Sudan dey renew dia support for di legitimate rights for di Palestinian pipo to get dia independent state.”
Kenya President William Ruto don tell di warring parties make dem calm down as “causalities still dey rise”.
Zambia Foreign Affairs Minister Stanley Kakubo bin back Israel for statement wey dem condemn Hamas attacks.
E tok for X say, “we strongly condemn di recent attacks on Israel, wey don lead to loss of lives. We without mincing words denounce all acts of aggression and violence and continue to emphasize do need to chase diplomatic means to solve international kasala”.
And who dey wit Hamas?
Hamas main ally na Iran, na from dia, dem dey receive funds, weapons and training for dia members, according to Israeli and Western authorities.
To get di support of di goment of di ayatollahs mean say, according to experts, na to also get di support of kontris like Iraq or Syria, wey dey Tehran orbit.
But no be only Iran dey support Hamas, also Qatar dey support Hamas. Di Persian Gulf state dey considered as anoda major financial and diplomatic supporter of di radical Palestinian grouping.
“Di top leader of Hamas (Ismail Haniya) dey Doha, despite di fact say Qatar na U.S. ally,” Aguirre tok.
Peculiar case na dat of Turkey. Despite say dem be member of NATO, recently, dia President, Recep Tayip Erdogan tok say “Hamas no be terrorist group,” but “a group of liberators,” and e accuse Israel of carrying out war crimes for Gaza.
What about Russia and China?
Di position of dis two nuclear powers on top di mata dey guided by dia rivalries and economic interests.
“Di case of Russia dey peculiar, since dia position respond to dia geostrategic confrontation wit di US, “Ignacio Gutiérrez de Terán, Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies for di Autonomous University of Madrid tok.”
In similar terms, Rodríguez Gómez tok say “di Hamas attack dey beneficial for Russia, because e go divert di attention of US and European forces from wetin e dey do for Ukraine”.
“If dem put Russia on a scale between di West and Hamas, e go dey closer to Hamas,” di expert tok.
In fact, dis week, Netanyahu goment bin summon di Russian ambassador to Israel in protest against di presence of some leaders of di Islamist organization for di Russian capital.
As for China, Rodriguez Gomez assure say dia own na “different” case.
“China need a stable world. Di great economic projects need stability and China wan carry out dia great Silk Road project and a destabilization like di one for Ukraine don do dem,” e explain.
Di position of Latin American kontris
As soon as di Hamas attacks occur, most Latin American goments bin express dia solidarity wit Israel. Dis na in spite of di sympathies many of dem get for di Palestinian cause.
Presidents Luis Lacalle Pou (Uruguay), Gabriel Boric (Chile), Nayib Bukele (El Salvador), Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva (Brazil), Luis Abinader (Dominican Republic) and Alberto Fernandez (Argentina) don strongly condemn di killing and kidnapping of Israeli civilians. Bolivia, Costa Rica and Honduras, through dia foreign ministries, also reject wetin happun.
Mexico, dey in between. On di one hand, dia President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, on di 9th bin tok say im kontri “no dey take sides” and say instead of more condemnations, na peaceful solution dey required”. On di oda hand, di Ministry of Foreign Affairs bin deny di event and affirm say Israel get “di right to legitimate self-defense”.
Goments of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, on di oda hand, blame di Hamas attacks on di Israeli occupation of di Palestinian territories.
As di number of civilian casualties for Gaza dey increase, some Latin American leaders don toughen dia stance. Big among dem na President Lula, wey last week call Netanyahu strategy “madness.”
“Because Hamas commit terrorist act against Israel no justify make Israel kill millions of innocent e tok.”
Oda kontris don go further, as evident by di decisions wey Bolivia, Colombia, Chile and Honduras take dis week, dia leaders don repeatedly express dia displeasure for Israel response to di attacks dem be victim of.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro na one of those wey bin dey hard against Israel from di beginning sake of dia offensive against Gaza, something wey make Netanyahu goment accuse am of being “hostile” and “anti-Semitic” and to announce di suspension of certain Israeli exports go di South American kontri.
