We must continue to fight because defending Palestinian independence is a constitutional mandate
Jakarta (ANTARA) - A member of the Indonesian Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Agency (BKSAP), Rofi Munawar, has stated that Indonesia's support for Palestinian independence must not stop, despite facing obstacles from other countries.

The obstacle that Rofi refers to was the policy of US President Donald Trump, which is strongly siding with Israel.

"The biggest obstacle in fighting for Palestinian issues at the United Nations always comes from the United States. At the UN Security Council, Indonesia has to deal with Donald Trump's very active defense of Israel," Rofi said in a statement received by Antara here Friday.

Rofi responded to a number of initiatives by the Indonesian government to use Indonesia's membership in the UN Security Council for the period 2019-2020. He also commented on Indonesia's tenure as president of the UN Security Council in May 2019 to encourage discussion of Palestinian issues, which faced a number of obstacles.

The last informal meeting, called "Arria Formula", was denied by the US, even though 14 other countries had agreed to meet. According to Rofi, there should be greater efforts in mobilizing international support.

"The role of Indonesia in resolving conflicts in the United Nations, does not apply much in Palestinian interests. Tens of resolutions that we support regarding Palestine have been blown away, because the UN structure still applies the dominance of some states," Rofi said.

Although Indonesia is the President of the UNSC Delegation through May 2019, it does not have comparable strength when dealing with major countries, especially the United States.

"The idea of reformatting and restructuring the UN Security Council members has actually been voiced by several countries, but has not received a positive response," the Prosperous Justice Party politician said.

According to Rofi, as long as the structure of the UN Security Council still recognizes the privileges and veto rights of major powers, it is difficult to take a stand against the interests of its members.

However, he stressed that the various obstacles faced by the Indonesian government certainly should not be a reason to stop fighting for Palestinian independence.

"We must continue to fight, because defending Palestinian independence is a constitutional mandate," said Rofi.

(INE)

Reporter: Bambang Purwanto
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2019