Rememba October 7: tori wey pipo dey argue and di tin wey still dey happen

October 7, 2023, na one day wey still dey carry plenty meaning and wahala for how di events of two years ago dey interpreted, and e still dey affect wetin dey happen now.

Di mata still dey full controversy, questions wey dem never answer, and facts wey people dey argue:

Dem go see di attack as Palestinian resistance, wey dey remind people of how Israel and di people wey dey support dem no gree respect di result of Hamas victory for di 2006 elections wey international people monitor?

Abi di attack na reaction to di long-time oppression wey dey happen under apartheid policies, plus di strong, random, and wicked blockade wey some big Western officials don call ‘di world’s biggest open-air prison,’ wey dey even worse with di Israeli military attacks for Gaza wey dey kill civilians and destroy plenty things?

Abi October 7 go dey remembered as attack wey no get provocation, wey show di “wicked nature of Hamas” and even di whole Palestinian people for Gaza, as di Israeli President, Isaac Herzog, talk?

Abi Israel sabi say di attack go happen and dem allow am make e happen so dem go fit use am as excuse to finish di Zionist Project of ‘Greater Israel,’ wey go extend Israel land enter Gaza, di occupied West Bank, and East Jerusalem, and make plenty Palestinians run comot, bury di hope of Palestine state forever?

Abi, di most serious one, na say Israel reaction to October 7 na one kind genocidal campaign wey dey happen live, wey show how di big liberal democracies for Europe and North America dey support am, and how international law and di UN no get power to hold people wey do bad accountable?

As di mata still dey confuse, people dey try trace how di reactions to October 7 don dey change, from di international response to di violence and wahala wey dey happen, to di positions wey Israel, Hamas, di US, and Europe dey take.

Instead of di argument between people wey dey support or oppose wetin Israel dey do, di focus don shift go how dem fit find diplomatic solution wey go bring ceasefire, exchange prisoners, and still make sure say di people wey do bad for both sides no go face punishment.

Di big question now be whether people go remember this time two years from now as di time wey genocide stop, or na just small break e take. Professor Richard Falk talk say this question dey cast big shadow on wetin people dey think now.

Di future wey dey come go depend on whether di US Government go support Israel plan to end di fight or dem go use their power to find way wey go balance di mata, hold Israel ambition, and support Palestinian rights.

To look di important things wey happen from 2023 to 2025 fit help us understand di wahala wey still dey ground.

Stage I: Months after October 7 - Israel dey enjoy di benefit of di doubt

Even though Israeli leaders like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant use words wey sound like genocide for how dem respond to di attack, di word ‘genocide’ no dey used to describe wetin Israel dey do.

Netanyahu use Bible talk say di way dem go respond to attack on Jews na di same way di ancient Israelites take deal with Amalek – by killing all di men, women, children, and even animals.

Gallant talk for October 9 say: “I don order complete blockade for Gaza Strip. No electricity, no food, no fuel... We dey fight human animals and we go treat dem like dat.”

Di kind destruction wey follow, including di attack on places wey law no allow like hospitals, schools, churches, and UN shelters, show say Gallant words no be just talk, na wetin dem dey do.

But for di world stage, Israel first enjoy di benefit of di doubt. Big media houses and civil society accept di story say Hamas attack na unprovoked and Israel dey defend demself.

Small protests happen during dis time, and di support wey Israel get from Europe and other allies make dem strong for diplomatic level.

But di ‘genocide honeymoon’ end when di International Court of Justice (ICJ) talk say dem get power to look di case wey South Africa bring say Israel dey violate di Genocide Convention.

For March 2024, di ICJ give interim judgment wey order provisional measures. Israel no gree, and di US talk say di ICJ case no get legal merit, but dis action make protests and non-Western governments vex more.

Stage II: ICJ/ICC decisions and ceasefire vetoes

As di immediate shock of di attack dey reduce, people begin focus on di humanitarian crisis for Gaza and di suffer wey Palestinians dey face, plus di fact say Israel violence no fit connect to any real security reason.

Di criticism of Israel increase, protests happen for countries wey dey support Israel, and di governments respond in ways wey no democratic.

Di ICJ Advisory Opinion for 2024 talk say di occupation of Palestinian territories no dey legal, and di UN and member countries get responsibility to make sure di ruling dey implemented.

Di General Assembly accept di ICJ ruling and give Israel one year to comot from di territories, but di deadline pass for September without action.

During dis time, Israel reputation for law and morality dey reduce, and people dey see di occupation as settler colonialism wey dey commit genocide. Israel begin dey look like rogue state for di eyes of many.

Stage III: Di Pillay Report, Trump diplomacy, and di revival of post-October 7 mentality

For 2025, di UN Commission of Inquiry wey Navi Pillay lead talk say Israel attack for Gaza na genocide, and di reports from Francesca Albanese support di claim say Israel dey use settler colonialism and genocide.

Di US react by sanctioning Albanese and no allow her enter di US to present her report, even as dem block UN ceasefire initiative with veto.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump try end di fight for Gaza without vexing Israel, and he get help from Arab and Muslim countries.

Trump plan give Israel security and land assurance, but also small chance for Palestinian governance. Hamas get 72 hours to respond, and dem manage handle di matter well, but Israel still dey do air strikes.

Even with all di changes since October 7, 2023, four big problems still dey: US dey support Israel anyhow, Palestinians no fit represent demself, Hamas still dey called terrorist, and di way Zionist ideology dey treat Palestinians no change.

Until dem fix dis issues, di way people go see October 7 no go change.