The call was voiced by the OIC Executive Committee at the conclusion of its Extraordinary Open-Ended Ministerial Meeting, held virtually on June 10, 2020, some 20 days before Israel is scheduled to implement its planned annexation of the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, beginning July 1.
The OIC has called on the international community to take steps against the Israeli occupation and its colonial practices that jeopardize the fundamentals of the rule-based international order, the organization of Muslim majority countries said in a 15-point resolution, which was adopted at the meeting that was also attended by Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi.
The OIC has also asked the international community to take the necessary legal countermeasures, including refraining from dealings with any Israeli government that endorses an annexation agenda, imposing economic and political sanctions on Israel, and boycotting the Israeli colonial system, and illegal Israeli settlements and their products.
In addition, the OIC has urged its members to take the necessary political, legal, and economic measures to address the Israeli threat to the occupied Palestinian territory.
The resolution also calls on all states to pressure the Israeli occupation authorities to ensure the release of Palestinian prisoners, especially the sick, the elderly, children, and women, and to protect them from the risk of COVID-19 infection.
Minister Retno Marsudi, in her remarks, highlighted the fact that while the world is battling against COVID-19, Palestine is fighting even tougher problems, notably the looming annexation amid the pandemic.
“It (the planned annexation) shakes the very foundation of Palestine as a nation and threatens peace and stability in the region and beyond,” she warned.
While everyone is focusing on global efforts to fight the deadly virus, Israel has continued on its path of annexation, she said.
“The current 'de-facto' annexation is unacceptable. The planned 'formal' annexation is even more unacceptable, as it gravely violates international law and various UN resolutions; undermines international parameters and consensus on the Question of Palestine, including the two-state solution; sets back years of diplomatic efforts and the prospect of peace; and, it will even kill our dream to see an independent and sovereign state of Palestine,” she noted.
Hence, she called for unity among the OIC member countries and massive mobilization to oppose the annexation plan.
“If Israel finally carries on with the formal annexation, OIC countries with diplomatic relations with Israel should take diplomatic measures, in-line with various OIC resolutions,” she stated.
Besides, the OIC must become the engine for collective action at various global forums, including at the UNGA and the UNSC, by urging concrete measures to address the annexation and initiating a resolution to reject the plan, she said.
At the Human Rights Council, the OIC must voice concerns over the human rights crisis caused by the annexation, she added. The OIC must also begin to lobby for other groupings and other international organizations, she continued.
“On my part, I have sent letters to Foreign Ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement, G-77, OIC countries, European Union, and all members of the UN Security Council, requesting their support to reject Israel’s plan,” Retno Marsudi stated.
She also called for mobilization to support the resumption of credible multilateral negotiations, guided by internationally agreed parameters, with the aim of achieving the two-state solution.
“(The planned annexation of) Palestine is testing our resolve towards humanity and justice. Therefore, Israel’s persistence on continuing on the path of annexation cannot be tolerated. Once again, let us work together as one to mobilize support for Palestine and to stop Israel’s despicable annexation plan,” the minister said.
In the meantime, Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization, the Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board (PBNU) has strongly condemned Israel's annexation plan.
"Israel must stop all actions that will directly affect security and worsen world peace," Helmy Faishal Zaini, secretary general of the PBNU, said in a statement to ANTARA recently.
He lauded and supported the policy, ideas, and the decision made by the Government of Indonesia in opposing Israel's annexation.
According to him, Indonesia has played an important role in pushing this issue at international forums in order to bring about peace in the world.
Aziz Syamsuddin, Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR), has also denounced Israel's planned annexation of the West Bank, stating it cannot be justified at all.
"Indonesia supports the Palestinian people in their fight for their rights to establish a sovereign state," he said.
Israel's plan to annex a third of the Palestinian territories in the West Bank is illegal because it is against the UN Security Council resolutions and international laws, he explained.
Hence, any unilateral move that violates international agreements and norms must be stopped immediately, the Golkar Party politician remarked.
The DPR fully supports the steps taken by Indonesia, which is currently serving as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, to encourage the international community to work together to uphold commitments to international law and agreements that have been mutually agreed upon.
"Indonesia does not want to be hostile to any country, but we cannot justify injustice in any form against a country" Aziz added.
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Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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