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Indonesian govt, NGOs condemn Israel's annexation plan

Lawmakers view Israel’s annexation plan as a vehicle to “take away the Palestinians’ land and exterminate the nation”.

Apriza Pinandita (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Wed, July 1, 2020

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Indonesian govt, NGOs condemn Israel's annexation plan A protester carries a placard that reads in hebrew "no to annexation" as protesters gather in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square on Saturday, to denounce Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank. (AFP/Jack Guez)

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everal governmental and non-governmental institutions in Indonesia have issued statements condemning Israel’s plan to annex a large part of the West Bank, which is set to be implemented on Wednesday.

House of Representatives Commission I, which oversees foreign affairs, said it rejected the plan.

“Commission I has taken an assertive stance to reject the annexation plan of the West Bank and to reject the efforts made by Israel to legalize its invasion of Palestine,” Commission I deputy chairman Abdul Kharis Almasyhari said on Tuesday as quoted by a statement on the House’s website.

Kharis added that the lawmakers viewed Israel’s annexation plan as a vehicle to “take away the Palestinians’ land and exterminate the nation”.

Commission I chairwoman Meutya Hafid said the official statement would be handed over to the government through the Foreign Ministry and to foreign envoys seated in Jakarta as a courtesy.

“We want the House and the government to be on the same page [regarding this issue],” she said.

Meanwhile, Religious Affairs Minister Fachrul Razi said in a virtual international forum on Monday that Indonesia would consistently support Palestine’s struggle for independence.

“In the name of the Indonesian government, we would like to convey support from the Indonesian people to always stand behind the struggle of all Palestinians to gain their rights as an independent nation,” Fachrul said, according to a statement from the ministry.

“Our nation’s principle is to oppose any kind of colonialism - as stipulated in our Constitution,” he added.

Read also: Indonesia urges other nations to reject Israel’s West Bank plan

Yenny Wahid, the director of religious freedom watchdog Wahid Foundation, has also voiced her institution’s concern over the annexation plan, saying that “it was a true example of injustice, not only for Palestine but also for the world”.

The annexation, she added, would lead to the deterioration of humanitarian conditions in Palestine. Furthermore, the plan would jeopardize the “two-state solution” mechanism that was vital to the peace process between the two parties, Yenny said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Such an illegal decision could increase the radical-extremist sentiment and further ignite conflict within the region,” Yenny added.

Israel’s plan to annex a large part of the West Bank emerged after United States President Donald Trump came up with the “deal of the century” in January, which sees Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital and recognizes Israel’s sovereignty over large parts of the West Bank.

In this regard, Yenny urged the US government to participate in stopping the plan from happening, as well as asking international communities to implement real actions in stopping the annexation plan.  

Earlier reports said that under the US plan, Israel would annex 30 to 40 percent of the West Bank.

The plan has been rejected by many countries, including Indonesia. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation also urged all of its member states not to cooperate with Washington in implementing the idea in any form.

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