Indonesia Highlights Double Standard of Int'l Law Application Against Israel in UNGA Meeting

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi highlighted the double standard in the application of international law concerning the aggression in Palestine. 

Minister Retno conveyed this message during the plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, in New York which discussed the issue in Gaza.

"We must also call off the double standard in the application of international law which seriously undermines the sanctity of the law itself. Indonesia therefore supports efforts to ensure the accountability of Israel in various relevant forums, including the International Court of Justice," she addressed the forum in her speech. 

"Is what Israel doing consistent with international law, is it consistent with international humanitarian law? Let us be honest with ourselves in answering this question."

The recent escalation of Israeli aggression to Palestine has been ongoing since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, which killed 1,200 people and took about 240 hostages.

Since then, Israel relentlessly bombed the majority of Gaza City, forcibly depopulating the northern part of the enclave, and displacing two-thirds of the 2.3 million Gazans.

The Palestinian authorities in Gaza reported as quoted by Reuters on Tuesday that at least 15,000 Palestinians were killed in this aggression, 40 percent of whom were children. 

Israel and Hamas agreed to the initial four-day truce to exchange hostages which has since been extended for two days. 

In her speech in front of the UN General Assembly, Retno called for a permanent ceasefire, uninterrupted humanitarian aid, standing for justice, and starting the peace and political process.

"There is no military solution to this conflict," she emphasized. "Occupation in Palestinian land must end."

Indonesia is one of the countries mandated by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to take action on behalf of the OIC and the Arab League to stop the war in Gaza.

Meanwhile, the UN General Assembly adopted a non-binding resolution calling for a humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip last October. The resolution emphasized the support of the majority of UN members and was described as a deciding moment to achieve the recognition of a Palestinian state after decades of conflict. 

DANIEL A. FAJRI

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