The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), a Respected Democracy and Human Rights Advocacy Voice in Nigeria and beyond since 2008, is strongly calling on the present leaders of the United Nations particularly its two important organs of the UN Secretariat and the UN Security Council as well as its agencies like UNESCO, UN Human Rights Council, etc, and internationally respected actors and voices to act timely, states-manly, creatively and responsibly so as to find a permanent solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and save the Humanity from catastrophic implosion arising from another catastrophic world war (WW111). They must also be reminded that failure to have the above timely, creatively and expertly handled will throw the current Humanity of seven billion-plus into unquenchable catastrophes with capacity to wipe out hundreds of millions of members of the Human Family as well as “industrial-scale” destruction of sources of human survival including animals, plants and habitable environments. Going by the quantity of arms and armaments especially licit and illicit small arms and light weapons and chemical, biological and nuclear weapons as well as aerial and sea warfare equipment proliferating around the world and in possession of aggressive hands and countries; the United Nations and internationally visionary and thinkable persons must timely rise to the occasion before it is too late.

It must be remembered that we had on October 19, 2023 issued the first part of this special statement, titled: “In Solidarity With Right Of The State And People Of Israel To Self Defense And In Condemnation Of The Rising Defenseless Citizens’ Casualties And House And Other Property Destructions In The City Of Gaza”. Our statement also went down memory lane in tracing the origin of the current Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, dating it back to the breakout of bloody conflicts over the “Holy Land” in 70AD when the Roman Army led by Titus destroyed Jerusalem and when they had broken the last Jewish resistance in 135AD, they renamed the region Judea- Palestine after the earlier inhabitants-the Philistines. Intersociety’s special statement of October 19, 2023 further noted that “This great Land was taken over by militants Muslims in 636AD. It was then that Omar Ibn al-Khattab ordered the construction of the “Mosque of Omar (Ibn al-Khattab)”-called the “Dome of Rock”, presently regarded as the Muslims’ third holiest shrine in the world after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. In A.D. 1098, the Crusaders from Europe, raised by His Holiness, Pope Urban 11, who first struck in AD1095, freed the Holy Land from Muslim-Arabs and ruled it until AD1192 when Jerusalem again fell to Arab conquerors. In AD1517, the great Ottoman Turks overran Palestine, Egypt and the rest of North Africa and the Middle East, ruling them for the next 400 years ending in 1917 when the British forces led by Gen. Allenby attacked the Turks during the World War 1. With the aid of the Lawrence of Arabia, the British conquered all of Palestine and accepted a mandate from the League of Nations to administer the region for 30 years pending final disposition of the Holy Land to local authorities” and that “the State of Israel was proclaimed in 1947 leading to its independence in 1948 by the UN which also admitted it as 59^th Member-State on May 12, 1949”

Syria, Jordan And Israel Are Homes To Historical Symbols Of Christians, Muslims And Jews

The States of Syria, Jordan and Israel will forever remain the sacred homes of historical symbols of Christians (founded in AD 35 after Jesus Christ), Muslims (founded in AD 632 after Prophet Muhammad) and Jews (founded approximately in 1800 BC by Abraham); with the three respected religions originating from Abrahamic Religions. The above is in spite of thousands of years of attempts to erase or distort the three great histories through ancient and modern wars or bloody conflicts. Understanding the realities above is also a gateway into finding a permanent solution to the protracted Israeli-Palestinian conflicts and must be recognized by the likes of the United Nations and other international actors. All of the above, too, explains why the world will continuously miss the likes of Pope John Paul 11 (Karol Jozef Wojtyla), Woodrow Wilson, Harry Truman, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, Charles De Gaulle, Chang Kai-shek, John Locke, Winston Churchill, Alfred Nobel, Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa, Mahatma Gandhi and other international peace personalities and statesmen.

On May 7, 2001, for instance, Pope John Paul 11 became the first pope to visit a mosque when he entered the Great Omayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria and both the Pope and the Syrian Islamic leaders present offered a minute’s silent at the tomb of Saint John the Baptist located inside the Mosque. He also spent 95 minutes at the mosque which was built in 705AD on the site of a Christian Church beside the tomb of Saint John the Baptist. Around AD636, Omar Ibn al-Khattab ordered the construction of the “Mosque of Omar (Ibn al-Khattab)”-called the “Dome of Rock”, presently regarded as the Muslims’ third holiest shrine in the world, and located about 150-200 miles away from al-Aqsa Mosque (built between AD685-715), another Muslim holy shrine located in the Old City of Jerusalem. The “Dome of Rock Mosque” was built between AD685 and 692 and administered under the Ministry of Awqaf (Jordan). On the other hands, there are the Wailing Wall (for Jews) built in 19AD and Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Church of Resurrection) rebuilt from its 70AD Roman destruction and consecrated on 13^th September 335AD (etc) and the Church of Nativity (the birthplace of Jesus Christ), built around 330AD. Israel and Palestine are also homes to four UNESCO World Heritage sites which are historically significant and important to Jews, Christians and Muslims. The “Four UNESCO designated Sites” are: the Church of the Nativity and the pilgrimage routes in Bethlehem; the cultural landscape of Southern Jerusalem and Battir; the Old City in Hebron; and the newest (designated in Sept 2023) Tel es-Sultan archeological site.

Unveiling “One State-In-Two Lands-Deals” With Canada And Algeria

To achieve this, thinkable moments, concessions, ground shifting, tradeoffs, selflessness, innovative, charismatic and visionary ideas; recognition of historical realities, diplomatic ingenuities, positive and balanced power-plays, cultural affinities, neutralities and balanced positions by Governmental and Inter-Governmental bodies and respected persons, etc are all needed. By several and extensive geographical and demographical investigations conducted by Intersociety cutting across the Middle-East, the Oceania, the Europe, the South and the North America, the Association of the Independent former Soviet States and the North Africa including the Maghreb Region; the “One-State-in-Two Lands Deals” is very achievable with capacity to permanently put an end to the protracted Israeli-Palestinian bloody conflicts.

The “One State-In-Two Lands Peace Deals” for the State of Israel and the People of Palestine is remarkably different from the “Two-States-In-One-Land Solution” suggested by some western leaders in the past. Instead, our own “One State-in-Two Lands” Peace Deals” is aimed at retention by the Israelis and Palestinians of their respective ancestral lands presently in their possession under UN for purposes of preservation of their seats of power and historical and cultural heritages including granting unhindered access to Christians, Muslims and Jews to their holy sites including historical and cultural symbols in Israel. These holy sites are the Islamic Dome of the Rock completed in 692AD, the Al-Qsa Mosque built in 685AD-715, the Wailing Wall (for Jews) built in 19AD, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre rebuilt from its 70AD Roman destruction and consecrated on 13^th September 335AD (etc) and the Church of Nativity (the birthplace of Jesus Christ) built around 330AD. All the named religious holy sites are presently located in Old City of Jerusalem in the State of Israel and Palestinian administered territories.

Intersociety hereby makes a strong case for founding of a new land for Israelis through a ‘land donation or cession via procurement’ from Canada and a new land for Palestinians through a ‘land donation or cession via procurement’ from Algeria; to be respectively designated as “New Israel” and “New Palestine”. The two “New Lands” will be for demographic settlements and economic development with capacity to permanently end population congestions in Israel and Palestine. The two new ‘sets of lands” in question shall be donated or willingly ceded or procured through treaties under the United Nations Security Council and the United Nations Secretariat and ratified by the United Nations General Assembly. The two Deals must involve the authorities of Palestine and Israel and their allies including USA, EU, Russia, China, UK, the Arab League, Iran, Turkey, Canada, Algeria, the Organization of Islamic Conference, the Organization of American States, etc. The two “New Lands” will also bring about returning and resettlement of exiled and overseas’ Palestinians and Israelis, etc and dousing of tensions and freeing the Israeli and Palestinian present ancestral lands from over population and violent antagonism, etc. Our extensive investigations had found that throughout histories, lands have been donated freely or acquired monetarily or annexed militarily and later legitimized or legalized by treaties (.i.e. Lagos Treaty of Cession of August 6, 1861 which technically ceded Niger Area (Nigeria) to the British Empire per King (Oba) Dosunmu (“Docemo”).

The existing 64 Non-Self Governing Territories (NSGTs) under UN and Chapter X1 of its founding Charter and their superintendent sovereign entities or administering powers are a clear case in point. The Great Britain, for instance, still maintains “14 British Overseas Territories (BOTs)” including the Falklands Islands near Argentina. Our investigations also considered the religious and cultural affinities of Israelis and Palestinians with others (i.e. Palestinians and Algerians; and Israelis and Canadians). Other findings are the nautical and road distances between Palestine and Algeria (City of Gaza to Algiers) and Israel (Tel Aviv to Ottawa or Montreal/Toronto) and Canada; homeland and outside-homeland populations of the duo; and landmass, population and religious compositions of Canada and Israel as well as Palestine and Algeria. It was also found that climatic and terrestrial conditions are not a threat going by abundance of human, scientific and technology capabilities and adaptabilities of the two distinct populations (Israelis and Palestinians).

Part of our findings and another clear case in point was the purchase of the US present State of Alaska from the then Russian Empire on 30^th March 1867. The Alaska Purchase cost the US treasury $7.2million and was ratified by the United States Senate and signed by President Andrew Johnson. The negotiation for purchase of the Land started way back in 1859 between US Foreign Secretary, William H. Seward and the Russian diplomat, Eduard de Soeckl and was sealed on 30^th March 1867. The US Senate approved it on 9^th April and President Johnson signed the treaty on 28^th May 1867. Alaska became a State in USA on 3^rd January 1959. The US State of Alaska is the largest State in the country measuring 1.71million square kilometers of landmass or roughly twice the size of Nigeria’s 923,000 square kilometers. The 1848 post interstate war Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo brought about Mexican Cession of northern territories of “Alta California” (now US State of California) and Mexican breakaway Republic of Texas (now US State of Texas). The US also agreed to pay $15m compensation for physical damage of the war and assumed $3.5m debt already owed by the Mexican government to US citizens. The American-Mexican War lasted for a year and nine months or between 25^th April 1846 and 9^th February 1848. The areas ceded by Mexico to USA in their 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo are composed of the present-day US States of California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona; about a quarter of Colorado and a small section of Wyoming.

Key Findings Arising From Our Extensive Investigations

(1) Claims over lands and roots of origin (historical conundrum) and resultant religious divisions and bickering are the central cause of Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

(2) There should be retention by Israel and Palestine of their present lands with concessions by Israel allowing for boundary adjustment to cede part of East Jerusalem to Palestinians to add to their Gaza and West Bank landmass; measuring only 6,220 square kilometers as against Israel’s total landmass of 20, 770 square kilometers (size of Denmark or slightly lower than size of the US State of New Jersey).

(3) Israelis have homeland population of 7.1m and 8.3m others living outside the country mostly in US where approximately 6m live and Europe; totaling over 15.4m excluding “assimilated” and “lost tribes of Israel”.

(4) Palestinians have approximately 7m citizens living in Israeli occupied territories, West Bank and Gaza and out of this number, 2.3m live in Gaza with small landmass of 365 square kilometers or over 5000 people per square kilometer; making it the third most densely populated city in the world.

(5) Global Palestinian population are put at 14m with 7m living in Gaza, West Bank and 1948 demarcated areas and 6.3m living in Arab countries and 750,000 others scattered in other countries including Europe and Americas.

(6) Totality of these clearly indicates acute shortage of land and space for the citizens of the two ancient tribes.

(7) There is need for retention by the Israelis and Palestinians of their respective ancestral lands in their possession under UN System or Mandate for purposes of preservation of their seats of power and historical and cultural heritages including granting unhindered access to Christians, Muslims and Jews to their holy sites and historical and cultural symbols

(8) Kazakhstan was found to be the Muslim country with largest landmass in the world measuring 2.73million square kilometers (more than three times Nigeria’s 923,000 square kilometers quartering its human population of over 180m), but the Kazakhstan’s odd side is its over 26percent Christian population and 70% Muslim population, as against Algeria’s 2.38m square kilometers of landmass (more than two-and-half size of Nigerian landmass) and 99% Muslim population. Algeria is home to only 100,000 Christians.

(9) With this, the Islamic Republic of Algeria is favorably disposed to be approached for land donation or cession via procurement to the Palestinian People. This is in addition to age-long cultural, political, economic and religious affinities between Algeria and Palestine dating back to 1950s.

(10) Algerian population of 46m (2023 UN estimates) and its growth rate was not found to be threatened even in the next 10,000 years; in case it is persuaded to donate or cede via procurement a land to Palestine, as it can harmlessly donate as much as 300,000 square kilometers of landmass to Palestinians in our “land-donation-for-peace” recommendation and appeal.

(11) Canada, on the other hand, is the most favorable and friendly to be approached for land donation or cession via procurement to the State of Israel. It can harmlessly donate as much as 500,000 square kilometers of landmass to the State of Israel without territorial threats in the next 10,000 years.

(12) Canada is also found to be the second Christian or non Muslim country with largest landmass in the world, after Republic of Russia’s 17.1m square kilometers (roughly twenty times more than the size of Nigeria’s 923,000).

(13) Canada has total landmass of 9.98m square kilometers with human population size of only 39m (2023).

(14) Area distance between Canada and Israel is measured at 8,850 kilometers or 4,776 nautical miles; meaning 9.8hrs flight from Tel Aviv to Ottawa or Montreal or Toronto (space distance).

(15) Area distance between Palestine (Gaza Strip) and Algeria (Algiers) is 2,923 kilometers or 36.7hrs by road on 80km per hour and 4.9hrs by air.

(16) While Canada as a Christian country shares a lot in common with Jewish State of Israel, Islamic Palestine also shares a lot in common with the Islamic Republic of Algeria.

(17) Possibility of future conflicts along social, economic and religious lines between Algeria and Palestine; and between Canada and Israel was found to be very minimal, if not totally absent.

•Compiled For: International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) by Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chair @ Intersociety; Co-Signed: Chinwe Umeche Esquire; Head of Democracy and Good Governance; Chidinma Udegbunam Esquire, Head of Publicity; Ndidiamaka Bernard, Esquire, Head of Int’l Justice and Human Rights. Intersociety can be reached via Mobile/WhatsApp/Mobile: +2348174090052; Email: info@intersociety-ng.org; Website: https://intersociety-ng.org

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