REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia's consistent stand in defense of the Palestinian people's right to achieve independence is a form of fulfilling the mandate of the Basic Law (UUD) 1945, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia.
“Indonesia continues to support Palestine to achieve full independence free from colonization, and the legal basis for this is very solid, namely our constitution, the 1945 Constitution,” said Amrih Jinangkung, Director-General of Law and International Covenants of the Indonesian Ministry of Justice, at an online discussion agenda Wednesday (8/5/2024).
In a discussion on the future of Palestine by PANDEKHA Faculty of Law of Gadjah Mada University, Amrih affirmed that the first paragraph of the 1945 Constitution alone called for independence to be the right of all peoples and that colonization in the world should be abolished.
“So, the Palestinian issue for the Republic of Indonesia is not an ordinary issue, but a basic issue, a constitutional issue related to the existence of a state that we recognize,” Amrih said. Indonesia's commitment to Palestine is solid and Indonesia will continue to pursue various diplomatic steps, both in bilateral and multilateral forums and at regional and world level, to fight for independence for the Palestinian people, he said.
“In addition, Indonesia will continue to defend Palestinian interests in the United Nations Security Council (UN) as well as the UN General Assembly,” Amrih said. As a step of support for the Palestinians, Indonesia has also given an oral statement to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the framework of an advisory opinion on Israeli aggression in Palestine submitted by South Africa late last year.
“We also support other processes (related to the Palestinian issue) that are ongoing at the ICJ, such as Nicaragua's lawsuit against Germany,” the president said. The actions and position of the Indonesian government in defense of the Palestinian people are respected and supported by the Indonesian people, he said, adding. “The establishment is very solidly implemented by our diplomats, ambassadors abroad, and even by the president,” Amrih said.