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RI inaugurates honorary consul in Ramallah
Right move: Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi (right) shakes hands with Indonesiaâs newly appointed honorary consul Maha Abu Shusheh during a ceremony at the Indonesian Embassy in Amman, Jordan, on Sunday
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Right move: Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi (right) shakes hands with Indonesiaâs newly appointed honorary consul Maha Abu Shusheh during a ceremony at the Indonesian Embassy in Amman, Jordan, on Sunday.(Courtesy of Infomed, Kemlu RI/Adam) (right) shakes hands with Indonesiaâs newly appointed honorary consul Maha Abu Shusheh during a ceremony at the Indonesian Embassy in Amman, Jordan, on Sunday.(Courtesy of Infomed, Kemlu RI/Adam)
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span class="inline inline-center">Right move: Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi (right) shakes hands with Indonesia's newly appointed honorary consul Maha Abu Shusheh during a ceremony at the Indonesian Embassy in Amman, Jordan, on Sunday.(Courtesy of Infomed, Kemlu RI/Adam)
Despite being denied entry to the West Bank by Israeli authorities, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi inaugurated the Indonesian honorary consulate in Ramallah on Sunday, a move seen as a step forward for the country in supporting Palestine's independence.
President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo made support for Palestinians a priority in his foreign policy during his presidential campaign in 2014, promising that the country would open a diplomatic office in the Palestinian political capital of Ramallah to energize bilateral ties and showcase support for an independent Palestine.
For Indonesia, supporting Palestine is an integral part of its constitutional mandate to abolish colonialism and contribute to the establishment of world order based on freedom, lasting peace and social justice.
Through diplomatic channels, Indonesia requested access for Retno to visit Ramallah, but Israeli authorities refused to grant a fly-over permit for a Jordanian air force helicopter that was designated to transport the minister, shortly before departure. Media reports said Retno was refused entry after declining to visit Jerusalem and meet Israeli officials there.
Israeli authorities control access to the West Bank, where Ramallah is located. Following the incident, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki traveled to Amman instead, and the inauguration was quickly set up in the Jordanian capital.
At the Indonesian Embassy in Amman, Retno inaugurated Maha Abu Susheh ' a Palestinian local and a prominent businesswoman in the region ' as the honorary consul.
'Indonesian support for the Palestinian people's struggle for independence will never cease and today [Sunday] we have taken a step forward by inaugurating an Indonesian honorary consulate in Ramallah,' Retno said in a written statement, hoping that the honorary consulate office would be able to further the bond between Indonesian and Palestinian people.
Retno said the consulate was expected to help strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, provide protection for Indonesian citizens, enhance economic and sociocultural cooperation as well as promote investment and tourism.
Experts said that while the honorary consulate showed the consistency of Indonesia's support toward Palestine, Indonesia should take a better approach toward Israel to smoothen diplomatic relations with Palestine.
'The honorary consulate shows how Indonesia is persistent in supporting Palestine, but its existence is rather symbolic,' said Siti Mutiah Setyowati, a Middle East expert from Gadjah Mada University.
A Muslim intellectual from Nadhlatul Ulama, Zuhairi Misrawi, hoped Indonesia could utilize the momentum of better relations with Palestine to unite Fatah and Hamas, as it was essential in supporting Palestinian independence.
Zuhairi said it was positive that the meeting between Retno and her Palestinian counterpart had resulted in economic cooperation, adding that investment was one vital move to help support Palestinian people's livelihoods, but added that Retno's Middle East visit itself highlighted another important question on how Indonesia could support Palestine's independence without maintaining significant diplomatic relations with Israel.
'Israel's refusal to let our foreign minister enter Ramallah indicates that it has taken into account Indonesian efforts in supporting Palestine. Indonesia should better explain to Israel its position in supporting Palestine, be it through direct or indirect diplomacy,' he said, reiterating that Indonesia supported a two-state solution to address issues between Israel and Palestine, which obliged it to remain neutral.
Retno also discussed with her counterpart potential cooperation between Palestine and Indonesian state-owned banknote printing company PT Peruri, to print Palestinian passports and identity cards in Indonesia.
The inauguration followed Retno's visit to Amman on Saturday to meet Jordan's foreign minister and deputy prime minister, Nasser Judeh, to discuss economic ties, trade and people-to-people contact with one of Indonesia's biggest mineral and fertilizer materials suppliers. Her visit to Jordan bore two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) ' one for visa exemptions for diplomatic passport holders and the other a plan to appoint an honorary consul in Al Aqaba.
It was not the first time an Indonesian foreign minister has been denied entry to the Palestinian political capital, with Retno's predecessor Marty Natalegawa and fellow envoys from Non-Aligned Movement nations also stopped from crossing the border in 2012 because of a lack of diplomatic ties with Israel. Indonesia has no formal diplomatic ties with Israel, despite having trade and tourism links with the country.
