Indonesia's Retno Marsudi on UNSC: Maintain Peace, Not Tolerate Genocide

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi reminded the United Nations Security Council of its mandates to maintain international peace and security, not to tolerate wars and especially genocide as done by Israel against Palestinians.

"My question today: how many resolutions have been adopted on Palestine? how many are enforced?" Retno said on Wednesday morning, Jan. 24, 2024.

The statement was relayed after delivering her argument during the open debate at the UN Security Council in New York on the topic of the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. 

The minister questioned the UNSC's failure to act on its resolutions while Israel killed Palestinians with impunity.

"Israel must be held accountable for its actions, including atrocities in Gaza. No nation is above the law," she said.

"Once again, I urge Council members to stop the everyday horrors faced by the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank."

The UN Security Council is a 10-state member agency, five of which are permanent members with veto rights. These countries include the US, the UK, France, Russia, and China.

Minister Retno also highlighted the 25,000 killed Palestinians and the increasing numbers dying from hunger and the cold. "We all have the responsibility to uphold International Humanitarian Law without exception to the situation in Gaza," she said.

This morning's open debate was the third time in three months in response to the hostilities in Gaza which has been ongoing since Oct. 7. Minister Retno's participation in the debate was declared as Indonesia's commitment to support the Palestinian fight for liberation.

Israel has relentlessly bombarded the Gaza Strip after the cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, which Israel claimed killed 1,140 people. However, an independent media investigation found that Israeli forces killed some of its own citizens in what is called the Hannibal Directive operation.

At least 25,295 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in an Israeli offensive, most of whom women and children, while 63,000 are wounded, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Israeli bombardments also forcibly displaced 85 percent of Gaza residents, lacking food clean water, and medical equipment while 60 percent of infrastructure has been damaged or decimated, according to the UN.

ANTARA

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