INDONESIA WELCOMES RAISING OF PALESTINIAN FLAG AT UN by Fardah
Jakarta,
Oct 4, 2015 (Antara) - Many countries, including Indonesia, welcome the
raising of the Palestinian flag for the first time in the Rose Garden of
the United Nations (UN) in New York, Sept. 30, 2015.
The flag hoisting took place following the UN General Assembly's
approval of a resolution to raise the flag with an overwhelming majority
voting in favor of it on September 10, Al Jazeera reported.
The motion was passed with 119 votes in favor, while 45 countries
abstained and eight voted against, among them Israel, the US, Australia
and Canada. Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno LP Marsudi
and the country's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Desra
Percaya were present in the historic flag hoisting ceremony. Minister
Marsudi told detikcom. on Oct 1, 2015 that Indonesia is very pleased
and sees the raising of the Palestinian flag as an initial step toward a
full UN membership.
"Indonesia is and will always be with Palestinian people in their fight
for Palestine's independence and full UN membership," she stated.
Futhremore, Minister Retno Marsudi said in a statement quoted by
Merdeka.com on Oct. 2 that she had discussed with the Palestinian
foreign affairs minister about a plan to have an Indonesian honorary
consul in Ramallah. "We have had a candidate and we have requested the Palestinian authority's approval," the minister said in New York. Indonesia is a staunch supporter of Palestine in its struggle against the occupation by Israel.
So far, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has maintained a consistent
stance, noting that Indonesia wants to see Palestine becomes an
independent country like other nations. "I think since the beginning we have wanted Palestine to be a country," Jokowi said on Oct. 3.
The Indonesian head of state said he would contact the Palestinian
ambassador to Indonesia and the Palestinian president in the very near
future. "On Monday, I will call the ambassador first, and then Mr. President," Jokowi said.
In the meantime, Indonesia's Deputy House Speaker Hanafi Rais lauded
the raising of the Palestinian flag and considered it as a historic
diplomatic breakthrough. "The
hoisting of the Palestinian flag at the UN is a historic diplomatic
breakthrough, but Indonesia and the world should not be satisfied with
this," Hanafi Rais said on Oct. 1. The world should accord priority to helping the Palestinian refugees in returning to Palestine, he stated. Besides,
the world, including Indonesia, must demand the withdrawal of Israel
from the occupied Palestinian land and an end to the occupation, he
added.
"After the flag raising, Indonesia must meet its target to have a
representative office in Palestine, or at least an honorary consul
general, as pledged by the president during the commemorative
Asian-African conference (last April)," he remarked. Another
lawmaker, Sukamta said the hoisting of the Palestinian flag was a step
towards ending the Israeli occupation and declaring Palestine's
independence. "Conducting
diplomacy in the United Nations (UN) is important and raising the flag
of Palestine in the UN headquarters is a positive step," the member of
the Commission I of the House of Representatives (DPR) said. Raising the flag is basically indicative of complete freedom, either de facto or de jure, according to him. He urged the Indonesian government to keep pushing for Palestine's bid for a full membership of the UN. The
politician from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) suggested Palestine
to take a cue from Indonesia that diplomacy cannot be separated from the
struggle to achieve freedom. International
law expert of Indonesia University Prof Hikmahanto Juwana said the
raising of the Palestine flag at the UN Headquarter in New York is a
great moment in the history of the country. However, the Palestinian
struggle to gain independence is not over.
"Their struggle is not over due to several countries, including the
United States and its allies, who have yet to recognize their
independence," he added.
Juwana believed that Indonesia should mediate internal conflicts
between Palestinian factions - Fatah and Hamas, following the Palestine
flag hoisting ceremony at the United Nations Headquarter. "Indonesia
can have role as a mediator between the two factions that have
different views on the independence of Palestine. Indonesia can
establish a conference for the two factions and the member countries of
the Organization of Islamic Cooperation," Hikmahanto said on Oct. 3. He also said Palestine should conduct internal reorganization efforts to accommodate the differences of the factions. Addressing
the crowd during the flag hoisting ceremony in New York, Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas dedicated the ceremony to "the martyrs, the
prisoners and the wounded, and to those who gave their lives while
trying to raise this flag." Senior Hamas leader Ghazi al-Hamad said the flag-raising was "a positive step," but added that "it was not enough." The
Palestinian leadership in the West Bank has focused too much on
"symbolic acts," Hamad told Al Jazeera, adding that only with unity
between the West Bank and Gaza can Palestinians "confront the Israeli
occupation and establish an independent Palestinian state." Hamad
said that Palestinians were facing a "dire situation" as Israeli
settlements continue to rapidly expand and tensions were soaring at the
al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem, where clashes between
Palestinian worshippers and Israeli forces have occurred on a near-daily
basis in recent weeks. ***2*** (f001/ H-YH )
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