Indonesia stands firm in support of Palestine in face of ‘systematic’ pressure to recognise Israel: foreign minister
JAKARTA: Indonesia will continue to support Palestine in the face of systematic pressure from Israel and its allies to normalize ties with Tel Aviv, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said on Monday.
Jakarta does not have diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv and has been one of the most vocal supporters of Palestine since Israel launched its onslaught on the Gaza Strip in October. The Indonesian government has repeatedly called for an end to the occupation of Palestinian territory and a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders.
Speaking to university students at Yogyakarta’s Gadjah Mada University on Monday, Marsudi highlighted the “deteriorating situation” in the besieged enclave, where more than 36,400 Palestinians have been killed, and said Israel was making “strategic and systematic efforts to eliminate” Palestine.
“Israel and its allies are engaged in a coordinated effort to lobby and pressure Muslim countries to begin considering normalizing and opening up relations with Israel,” she said.
In April, Israeli media claimed Jakarta planned to establish diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv as part of a deal to facilitate Indonesia’s membership of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
But Indonesia’s foreign ministry quickly denied those claims at the time, saying the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country would consistently defend Palestine.
Indonesia, one of Palestine’s staunchest supporters, was among the 78 countries that first recognised Palestine in 1988. It considers Palestinian statehood mandated by the country’s constitution, which proclaims the end of colonialism.
Marsudi said he would continue to support the Palestinians on the international stage, including by pushing for an immediate and lasting ceasefire and calling on Tel Aviv to comply with an International Court of Justice order to halt military attacks on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Israeli ground and air attacks have destroyed much of the Gaza Strip’s civilian and medical infrastructure over the past eight months, wounding more than 82,000 people and leaving thousands missing under rubble.
The Israeli military has also cut off water, food and aid supplies to the area, pushing more than two million residents to the brink of starvation.
“Indonesia has consistently upheld universal principles and values in order to continue supporting the Palestinian state. It is not easy to embrace these principles consistently. It is really not easy to maintain this principle in today’s chaotic world, full of pressures and deal promises everywhere,” Marsudi said.
“But thank God, up until this moment, the Indonesian government has remained firm and consistent in defending the Palestinian state, and we have an obligation to uphold justice and humanity, as mandated by the 1945 constitution.”
