INDONESIA OPPOSES CHANGE IN STATUS OF JERUSALEM by Fardah

Jakarta, Dec 6, 2017 (Antara) - A plan by US President Donald Trump to relocate the US embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has triggered strong objections from a number of countries, including Indonesia, and regional organizations such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

         Opposing the plan, Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi stated in Jakarta on Dec 4, 2017, that any move by the US to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital will endanger the peace process in Palestine.

         "Indonesia has clearly expressed its deep concern over the issue. Any change in the status of Jerusalem will jeopardize the peace process and peace itself," Marsudi said.  
    On Dec 3, Marsudi spoke to the US ambassador to Indonesia and conveyed to the envoy that the US leadership must resolve the Palestine issue with discretion.

         However, the US ambassador informed that Trump was yet to take a final decision on this matter.

         On the same day, the Committee of Permanent Representatives of OIC member states held a meeting in Jeddah and issued a final communiqué.

         The communiqué called upon all states to abide by the resolution of international legality on the city of Al-Quds, which is an integral part of the Palestinian territory occupied in 1967, Marsudi remarked.

         "The message of Indonesia is very clear. The message of the OIC is also very clear," Marsudi noted.

         She called on the international community to unite in their efforts to assist the Palestinian people in their endeavor to realize the status of a fully independent country.

         Indonesia is a strong supporter of the two-state solution and creation of an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital living side-by-side with Israel, Marsudi remarked during the commemoration of International Day of Solidarity with the Palestine People in Jakarta on Nov 30, 2017.

         Ambassador Designate of the State of Palestine to Indonesia, Zuhair al Shun, noted that the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital will be a radical change in its traditional position on the issue of Jerusalem and demanded "immediate and quick action before it is too late."
    "We hope that the peace process will continue and the situation in Jerusalem will be sorted soon within the framework of the two-state solution," al Shun remarked.

         He called on various nations and the international community to voice objection to the US plan.

         He particularly sought assistance and support of the government and people of Indonesia, who he viewed as brothers and sisters.

         Trump called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other Arab leaders on Dec 4 to inform them of his intentions to relocate the US embassy to Jerusalem.

         He, however, was warned by many in the Middle East and elsewhere of the "disastrous consequences" the move would have on regional stability and any prospect of a long-lasting peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians, Aljazeera reported.

         No country currently has its embassy in Jerusalem, and the international community, including the US, does not recognize Israel's jurisdiction over and ownership of the city, Aljazeera wrote on Dec 5.

         "President Abbas warned of the dangerous consequences such a decision would have on the peace process and to the peace, security, and stability of the region and of the world," Nabil Abu Rudeina, the Palestinian president's spokesperson, said in a statement after Trump's call.

         Jordan's King Abdullah II told Trump that such a decision would have "dangerous repercussions on the stability and security of the region," according to a statement released by the palace and quoted by Aljazeera.

         Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was furious about the plan and noted that "Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims." "We implore the US once again: You cannot take this step," he remarked
    According to Aljazeera, Federica Mogherini, the European Union's top diplomat, explained that "any action that would undermine" peace efforts to create two separate states for the Israelis and the Palestinians "must absolutely be avoided."
    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has "consistently warned against any unilateral action that would have the potential to undermine the two-state solution," his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, told reporters in New York, according to Aljazeera News.  ***2***
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(T.F001/A/BESSR/B003) 07-12-2017