December 13, 2024
JAKARTA – Indonesia welcomed on Thursday the adoption of a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, a document Jakarta co-sponsored with several Muslim-majority countries and which received overwhelming support from UN members.
Supported by 158 countries on Wednesday, the resolution demanded an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire, and stressed “the need for accountability” while also referencing the measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) earlier this year to protect Palestinians from “acts of genocide”.
The UNGA also approved a second resolution backing the mandate of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) amid an Israeli ban of the aid agency that will take effect next year.
“A permanent ceasefire is urgently needed in Gaza and the resumed operation of the UNRWA will help save Palestinians from suffering,” the Foreign Ministry said on X.
“Indonesia urges the international community to put pressure on Israel to implement the resolutions without delay to ensure a lasting ceasefire, the continuation of humanitarian assistance, and pave the way towards the realization of the two-state solution,” the ministry added.
Global pressure for Israel to immediately withdraw its forces from the besieged Gaza has yet to subside over a year since the start of the war, with the deteriorating living conditions in the enclave having drawn widespread attention.
The surprise attack launched by Palestinian militant group Hamas in October of last year sparked a massive reprisal from Israel that has killed nearly 45,000 people in Gaza to date.
Read also: Indonesia condemns Israel’s ban of UNRWA
More countries in the recent year have diplomatically backtracked their support for Israel, increasingly showcasing support for Palestine, isolating Tel Aviv on the international stage as it faces louder calls for de-escalation and withdrawal.
Despite the mounting allegations made against Israel, the most severe one being South Africa’s genocide accusation, Tel Aviv remains defiant, continuing its military campaigns, which have also further destabilized the Middle East.
The latest resolution on the immediate ceasefire was drafted by Indonesia and 10 other countries including Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Observers have described it as a collective and symbolic gesture in rejecting Israel and its main ally the United States, given that much of the wording used was similar to a UN Security Council draft resolution vetoed by Washington last month.
The US at the time used its veto power to protect Israel, insisting on a conditional ceasefire instead.
UNGA resolutions are not legally binding, unlike Security Council resolutions, but carry a significant moral weight as they track global sentiment on a specific conflict.
Read also: UN General Assembly calls for ‘unconditional’ Gaza ceasefire
Representing Indonesia when proposing the text for the resolution at the UNGA last week, Deputy Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir said that existing resolutions had so far been ineffective in the face of “double standards” practiced by powerful countries to grant Tel Aviv “a license to kill”.
He lamented the lack of progress in Gaza while urging more negotiations.
“Despite the clear conscience of the vast majority of nations, a powerful few choose to ignore humanity, the dignity of life and international rule of law,” Arrmanatha said.
“[There is] a collapse of the international order which was designed by the powerful countries who are no longer committed to upholding them. We, the vast majority with conscience, must therefore rise to protect the humanity [and] end the suffering of innocent civilians in Gaza,” he added.
Middle East expert Yon Machmudi from the University of Indonesia (UI) said the new resolution was unlikely to change much of the dynamics in the Middle East given its nonbinding nature. He suggested that negotiating directly with the US and the warring sides would yield better results.
“Lobbying with the US is nonnegotiable here, but whether Washington has any political will to resolve the issue is another question,” Yon said on Thursday. “Diplomatically, Indonesia has done a lot, it has done everything. But no diplomatic efforts have so far worked to stop the mass atrocities.”
Deputy US Ambassador Robert Wood publicly rejected the latest resolution on Wednesday, saying that its adoption would be “shameful and wrong”.
Eleven countries chose to abstain, while nine countries voted against the resolution: Argentina, Israel, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tonga and the US.