Indonesia ‘very concerned’, condemns Israel’s West Bank plan

Indonesia has again launched calls to support the plight of the Palestinian people after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Monday to further annex parts of the West Bank.

Netanyahu said Israel would place Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley in the West Bank under Israeli sovereignty, Reuters reported, setting July 1 as a starting date for Cabinet discussions on the issue.

The plan has alarmed supporters of the state of Palestine, including Indonesia. Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said on Thursday she had raised the issue with the United Nations (UN) secretary-general as well as foreign ministers of countries in the UN Security Council, Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Non-Aligned Movement, among other parties.

"Indonesia is very concerned about Israel’s plan to annex Palestinian territory in the West Bank," the minister said during a virtual press briefing on Thursday.

She added that she had also mentioned the issue to United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a phone call on Wednesday morning.

“I reiterated that Indonesia’s position remains unchanged on the Palestine issue. I hoped for US leadership in preventing Israel’s plan to further annex the West Bank from,” Retno said.

She went on to say that the annexation would not only threaten peace and stability in the region but also undermine all efforts to reach a political solution on the Palestinian issue based on the two-state solution, where two sovereign and democratic states of Israel and Palestine could live in peaceful coexistence.

“I call on the international community to work together to uphold our commitment, international parameters and consensus again to find a long-lasting solution on the future state of Palestine.”

In January, US President Donald Trump released his long-delayed Israeli-Palestinian peace plan in a joint announcement with Netanyahu. The proposed plan lays out a vision for establishing an independent Palestinian state while also formalizing Israeli sovereignty over settlements built in occupied territory, AFP reports.

The plan covers strict conditions, including a requirement for the future Palestinian state be demilitarized.

However, Palestinians were not involved in drafting the plan.

As a staunch supporter of the Palestinian struggle for statehood, Indonesia has consistently backed the cause in many international forums, including the UN Security Council, where Indonesia is currently in its last year of non-permanent membership. (kuk/dis)