"We welcome the Cairo Declaration as a result of the Arab Summit on the reconstruction efforts of Gaza. It has a proximity to the hearts of the Indonesian people," Spokesperson of the Foreign Affairs Ministry Rolliansyah Soemirat stated in a media briefing on Thursday.
Despite not being a participant in the Arab Summit, Soemirat believes the values and spirit of the Cairo Declaration will resonate at the ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) initiated by several OIC members, including Indonesia, on March 7.
Soemirat noted that a key agenda item at the OIC meeting will be the follow-up on the Cairo Declaration and how it aligns with the views of OIC countries in the joint struggle to defend Palestinian independence.
Soemirat then highlighted a crucial aspect of the declaration: its rejection of all forms of efforts or discourse to forcibly expel Palestinians from their homeland.
He pointed out that several aspects of the declaration, both directly and indirectly, share the same values and spirit with Indonesia, which are consistently communicated in international forums concerning the Palestinian cause.
"We have also conveyed that Indonesia will be involved in the international community's efforts for Gaza reconstruction," he remarked.
The Arab summit, on Tuesday (March 4), adopted the Cairo Declaration, which includes a plan for the initial recovery and reconstruction of Gaza "as a comprehensive plan of the Arab countries."
In the statement, the member countries agreed to reject the displacement of the Palestinian people from their homeland "under any circumstances" and agreed to appoint a legal committee to study the displacement of the Palestinian people as a crime of genocide.
They also expressed their rejection of Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and its use of the siege in Gaza and the famine suffered by the civilians as "a means to achieve certain political goals."
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Translator: Nabil Ihsan, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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