This year, which marks 75 years since the beginning of the UN’s journey and the flourishing of its postwar ideals, offers a very different view of the world, for various obvious reasons.

On the one hand, the pandemic has pushed us to shelter in place and become wary of our own governments, and even one another. In another instance, most of our activities have moved online, and for the very first time, even the UNGA will be carried out as a largely virtual summit.

One thing that has remained constant even after 75 years is the endless struggle of the Palestinians in their pursuit of independence. And yet, from the terrain to the roadblocks and the changing of the guards, the challenges that emerged this year could not have made it more difficult for countries to maintain the Israel vs Palestine dichotomy.

For Indonesia, never has it been harder to determine how to best support the Palestinian cause, when even one of its biggest economic partners, the United Arab Emirates, has seemingly taken up the economic opportunities offered in the United States’ so-called Middle East peace plan, in exchange for normalized ties with Israel.

Some observers have likened this move to a betrayal of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, an agreement to force Israel to forfeit its occupation of Palestinian territory in exchange for establishing ties with Arab nations.

In private, Abu Dhabi may say it is cultivating ties to get some leverage from Israel, while stauncher supporters of Palestine like Indonesia may continue to take a hardened position against the Jewish state.

Popular

Popular discontent is justified. Authoritarianism is not the answer

Recentralization concerns in fiscal, education heighten

Govt under pressure as 3 million home drive hits cracks