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Indonesia walks out of heated Gaza debate at UN
Indonesia has been participating in diplomatic efforts to promote a permanent cease-fire in the conflict and wider access for humanitarian assistance, but Tuesday's UN meeting was the first time the country’s representatives staged a walkout on the issue.
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Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi delivers her annual speech detailing the achievements and upcoming targets of Indonesian diplomacy at the Merdeka Building in Bandung, West Java, on Jan. 8, 2024. She spoke about the Palestinian struggle as a piece of "homework" Indonesia had yet to finish. (Antara/M Agung Rajasa)
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oreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi led the Indonesian delegation in a walkout alongside dozens of other diplomats during an address by Israel at a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on Tuesday, amid international condemnation of Tel Aviv’s ongoing military onslaught in the Gaza Strip.
A video that circulated on Wednesday showed Indonesia’s top diplomat leaving the debate hall at the UN headquarters in New York with dozens of other foreign diplomats at the start of a speech by Israel’s permanent representative to the United Nations Gilad Erdan in which he asserted his country’s will to “defend” its future.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed the walkout on Thursday and told reporters that Erdan, who was the second representative to speak during the six-hour debate, later staged a similar walkout during Retno’s speech.
“The Israeli permanent representative was not present in the room when Indonesia and several other OIC [Organization of Islamic Cooperation] countries were delivering their speeches,” said ministry spokesperson Lalu Muhammad Iqbal. “Conversely, Indonesia and several OIC representatives were not present when he was delivering his statement.”
The OIC, a group of 57 countries representing the Muslim world, strongly supports the Palestinian cause and endorsed a joint statement last year condemning Israel’s siege of Gaza and calling on top diplomats to exert “diplomatic, political and legal pressure” on Tel Aviv.
Read also: Indonesia enlists help of experts for ICJ Israel caseIndonesia has been participating in diplomatic efforts to promote a permanent cease-fire in the conflict and wider access for humanitarian assistance, but this was the first time the country’s representatives staged a walkout on the issue.
Indonesia typically promotes dialogue above all else and walkouts are a rarity for the country’s delegations at international forums.
