REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that the Palestinian issue will always be prioritized in its foreign policies throughout 2019 amid Indonesia's role in the United Nations' Security Council. Minister Retno L. P. Marsudi reiterated that Indonesia's support for Palestine will never recede.
The Indonesian Government is deeply concerned with the shift in political stance of several countries on the Palestinian issue, as it opposes the United Nations' resolutions that should, in fact, be respected and serve as foundations for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, she noted. One of the countries that has changed its political stance on the Palestinian issue is the United States, which has moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
However, this reality will never make Indonesia recede its support for the Palestinians. Instead, Jakarta will continue to be on the forefront to help the people of Palestine achieve the goal pursued through their relentless struggles, she emphasized in her annual press statement here on Wednesday.
The concrete support for Palestine had been demonstrated in 2018 during which Indonesia for the first time doubled its contribution to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The National Alms Agency (Baznas) had also collaborated with Palestinian refugees through UNRWA and the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization to assist Palestinian refugees, Marsudi noted.
Moreover, 50 universities in Indonesia have collaborated to provide scholarships to Palestinian students. Indonesia's honorary council in Ramallah has also contributed to an endeavor to increase the two countries' bilateral economic ties.
"It is the first time to offer trade facilitation to Palestine to enable several Palestinian products to gain access to Indonesia's market," she noted.
Marsudi reiterated Indonesia's support for a two-state solution as the only way to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and as a corridor for creating peace.