TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

RI lobbies, pledges more support for Palestinian cause

Gathering support for the Palestinian struggle for independence remains one of Indonesia’s top priorities as Jakarta’s high-level delegation ploughs through a flurry of meetings at the United Nations General Assembly

Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Fri, September 28, 2018

Share This Article

Change Size

RI lobbies, pledges more support for Palestinian cause

G

athering support for the Palestinian struggle for independence remains one of Indonesia’s top priorities as Jakarta’s high-level delegation ploughs through a flurry of meetings at the United Nations General Assembly.

For almost a week, hundreds of leaders, officials, activists and diplomats descended upon the halls and meeting rooms of the UN headquarters in New York for countless meetings — amicably dubbed as an exercise in diplomatic speed-dating.

The issue of Palestine had been brought up in a number of key meetings this week, with more to come, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said on Wednesday.

With its growing international clout — the country is set to join the ranks of the UN Security Council next year — the government is doubling down on its commitment to ensure a two-state solution to the decades-old question at the heart of the Middle East.

“Indonesia will continue to be on the frontline supporting the Palestinian cause, especially in its capacity as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council,” the minister said.

For one, Retno said Indonesia would pledge more support to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which provides housing, health care, education and social services to 5.3 million Palestinian refugees.

The UN body is grasping at straws to plug the deficit in its budget, after United States President Donald Trump ordered the termination of all US contributions to the agency earlier this month. Last year, the US provided US$364 million to the UNRWA, much more than any other UN member state. Other countries donated a combined $650 million, according to data from the agency.

The UNRWA has covered 60 percent of the funding gap through emergency aid from various countries, but still needs $180 million, Retno said.

“Indonesia is committed to increasing its voluntary contribution. Don’t ask how much, but what’s important is that we will not only double it but quadruple it,” she said after talks with Pierre Krähenbühl, the commissioner general of the UNRWA.

The Indonesian government has already doubled its contributions to the UNRWA to $200,000 this year. Indonesia’s total contributions stood at $1.36 million, the majority of which has come out of the pockets of non-profit organizations, universities and philanthropists.

Indonesia’s support does not only come in the form of funding, however.

At a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), a group of nations not formally aligned with major power blocs at the height of the Cold War, Retno sought to reiterate the historical relevance of the Palestinian cause among NAM member states, urging those who had yet to recognize Palestine as a state to do so immediately.

“A key measure for the Non-Aligned Movement in supporting Palestinian independence is championing the two-state solution and guaranteeing both short- and long-term solutions for the Palestinian people,” she told reporters in New York.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on Thursday morning. Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu is set to speak later in the same session. Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla is also slated to speak on Thursday, in the afternoon session.

Apart from the Palestinian agenda, the Indonesian delegation also attended meetings on other issues, with Kalla speaking at the high-level meeting on the fight against tuberculosis and Retno speaking at the ministerial plenary of the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum.

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.