Chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board (PBNU) Yahya Cholil Staquf received a visit from Mahmoud Al Habbash, an advisor to Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, at his office in Jakarta. He came to Indonesia at the invitation of PBNU.
Mahmud Habbash also held an audience with Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.
Al-Habbash said Indonesia has a significant role as a large Muslim country to support the achievement of peace. According to him, based on its strategic location in ASEAN, Indonesia can raise this issue at the United Nations (UN) or other international institutions so that the Palestinian people get their rights.
Indonesia, he added, can also work with other countries that have not supported Palestinian independence. According to him, international support will further help achieve peace in Palestine.
“Indonesia is a country that has a significant impact, so Indonesia's role here is very important for the future of Palestinian politics. The Indonesian people also have many similarities with the Palestinian people and clearly show their support for Palestine,” he said after a meeting with PBNU Chairman Yahya Cholil Staquf at the PBNU office.
He further stated that peace in Palestine is expected to be under the auspices of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which is the official authority of the Palestinian government.
Mahmoud also thanked all the assistance provided by the Indonesian nation to Gaza, the West Bank, especially during this very critical period.
PBNU Chairman Yahya Cholil Staquf said that his institution wanted to help ensure that the voice of Palestine gets a wider space in Indonesia, both among the public and among policy makers.
According to him, it is very important to recognize and give a place to the Palestinian government as the official representative of the Palestinian people, in diplomatic and other multilateral efforts, to find a solution to the Palestinian issue.
“A real process to find a way out for the Palestinian issue must be rolled out seriously by the international community through various multilateral platforms within the framework of the existing international system. The Palestinian issue is a humanitarian issue,” he said.
According to Yahya, failure to provide a way out for the Palestinian people to live in peace and build a better future means a failure of humanity. Therefore, PBNU invites all elements to join in a common struggle to uphold the values of humanity, justice, and strive for a just and harmonious international order.
Director General of Law and International Agreements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Amrih Jinangkung said Indonesia has a very strong commitment to support Palestinian independence. Various efforts continue to be made by Indonesia in the international arena.
In fact, he said, Israel is still a occupying power or the occupying power in the occupied territories of Palestine and Israel, he continued, continues to commit violations. The Palestinian people, especially in Gaza, according to Amrih, are still the target of Israeli military attacks. For this reason, Indonesia will invite the world community and the UN to jointly follow up on the legal fatwa issued by the International Court some time ago and to recognize the existence of the Palestinian state.
Indonesia, he continued, also urged Israel to immediately end its illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel, he added, must also end the construction of illegal settlements and evacuate all Jewish settlers immediately.
Professor of international law at the University of Indonesia, Prof. Dr. Hikmahanto Juwana, outlined four things that he believes will not change Israel's stance on occupying Palestine despite the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). “Israel will argue that the ICJ fatwa is not a legal product,” he said.
Second, said Hikmahanto, America and Israel's allied countries will continue to support Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian land, and will even protect Israel if any country wants to enforce a fatwa with violence or the use of weapons. Third, in relations between international communities, the law of the jungle applies, not international law. “In the law of the jungle, the strong one wins,” he said.
The fourth factor, said Hikmahanto, is that most countries in the world cannot do anything to enforce the various UN decisions, resolutions and fatwas that are very much in favor of the Palestinian people.
The Gaza war, which has been ongoing since October 7 last year, has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians and injured more than 90,000 others. (fw/ab)
