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Jokowi reaffirms support for Palestine at OIC Summit, appoints honorary consul
Warm welcome: President Joko âJokowiâ Widodo greets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the start of their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit on Palestinian issues in Jakarta on Sunday
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span class="inline inline-center">Warm welcome: President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo greets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the start of their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit on Palestinian issues in Jakarta on Sunday.(Associated Press/Dita Alangkara)
President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has reiterated the country's support for a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Speaking in his remarks during the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit's opening ceremony, the President referred to a statement conveyed by the late president Sukarno in 1962, in which he said: 'As long as the independence of the Palestinians has not been handed over to the Palestinians, Indonesia will stand against the Israeli occupation'.
'We, the people of Indonesia, will consistently uphold that promise,' said Jokowi, who chairs the summit, which will end on Monday.
To realize Indonesia's commitment, President Jokowi on Monday officially appointed an honorary consul for Palestine, ahead of the opening of the Indonesian consulate in Ramallah.
In his opening remarks, the President announced that Indonesia had appointed Maha Abou Susheh as the Indonesian honorary consul for Palestine. In the near future, he added, Indonesia would inaugurate the Indonesian Honorary Consulate in Ramallah, Palestine.
The OIC Summit is set to produce two documents, a resolution and a Jakarta Declaration, which contains an agreed set of principles and concrete steps OIC member countries will take to achieve peace and reconciliation in Palestine.
Jokowi said Indonesia continued to stand together with its OIC fellow members in the pursuit of a resolution on the issue of Palestine.
The President brought to the attention of the summit participants the struggle experienced by the Palestinian people, particularly his concerns related to policies deemed biased and illegal, as well as Israeli's collective sanctions that continued to create hardships for Palestinians.
Citing examples, Jokowi said the access of Muslims to Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem was very limited and that the humanitarian condition of Palestinians continued to worsen.
Jokowi said the international community's tolerance of the continued illegal occupation by Israel had reached its limit. He called on unity among members of the international community, especially OIC members.
The President said that the existence of the OIC was aimed at supporting the struggle of Palestinians. He further said that Monday's summit, themed "United for a Just Solution", emphasized the importance for all OIC members to be part of the solution and not the problem.
"If the OIC cannot become part of the solution for Palestine, then the existence of the OIC becomes irrelevant," Jokowi said.
Jokowi also conveyed in his speech the Islamic world's call for support from the UN. (ebf)(+)
