TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi said before the members of the United Nations or UN General Assembly on Thursday, May 20, that Israeli occupation is the core issue of the violence occurring in Palestine as the world witnesses the bloody conflict in Gaza that has killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians.

“All of us know that this conflict is asymmetric by nature between Israel, the oppressor [and] the occupying power, and the Palestinians, the occupied, who are continuously being oppressed,” said Retno in her remarks before the 193-member General Assembly on Thursday in New York.

“The international community owes the Palestinian people. A long overdue independent state of Palestine living side by side in equal footing with all of us,” she asserted.

The occupation and aggression by Israel must not only be condemned but also a grave violation of international law that demands actions of the international community.

Since the violence erupted on May 10, health officials in Gaza said 232 Palestinians, including 65 children and 39 women, were killed and more than 1,900 people injured in aerial bombardments by Israel, as reported by Reuters on Thursday.

Israel claimed it had killed at least 160 combatants. Authorities said the death toll in Israel at 12.

To end the violence, Indonesia called for a ceasefire and an end to military actions, demanded humanitarian access and protection of civilians, and pushed for credible multilateral negotiation.

“Credible negotiations are very important to advance a just and comprehensive peace; based on the “two-state solution", in line with internationally agreed parameters,” Retno underlined.

Indonesia also called on the international community to remain committed and united in efforts against all illegal acts of Israel towards the ending of occupation in Palestine.

Read: Indonesia Urges Permanent Ceasefire Between Israel and Palestine

EKA YUDHA SAPUTRA