Ahead Of Legal Advice At ICJ On Israel's Population, Civil Society Gives Foreign Minister Retno Input

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi delivered Indonesia's national statement at the UN General Assembly session to discuss the situation of Gaza, Palestine in New York, USA on Tuesday 28 November 2023. (Between-Kemlu)

JAKARTA - A number of Indonesian civil society organizations support the efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu) to convey opinion or verbal statements for legal advice at the International Court (ICJ) regarding the occupation of Israel in Palestine.

The statement of support was conveyed during an audience between the civil society coalition and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jakarta, Monday, February 12.

The Coalition also submitted an open letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which basically appreciated the steps taken by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, especially Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, who continued to support human rights and reject the genocide that Israel allegedly committed against Palestinians. according to the coalition, in a written statement

During the meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was represented by the Director General of Law and International Agreement L. Amrih Jinangkung and the Director General of Asia Pacific and Africa Abdul Kadir Jailani.

The civil society organizations participating in the coalition are Kontras, YLBHI, Dompet Dhuafa, Amnesty International Indonesia, FORUM-ASIA, Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR), YAPPIKA, and SYNDICATION.

The coalition highlighted Israel's attacks on Gaza since October 7, 2023, which killed more than 27,000 Palestinian civilians, injured 66,000 people, and forced more than 1.7 million others to flee their homes.

In the midst of Israel's continuing attacks on the Gaza Strip, the coalition views solidarity and cooperation to defend the rights of the Palestinian people must be maintained, one of which is by supporting the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in delivering verbal statements for opinion advisory at ICJ.

The civil society coalition also submitted a number of recommendations to strengthen Indonesia's statement, namely so that there is an affirmation of the partiality of the superpowers to Israel's actions and the emphasis on the importance of implementing responsibility to protect (responsibility to protect).

The importance of diplomatic measures to pressure Israel to comply with international law and open access to humanitarian aid for the Gaza people must be emphasized in Indonesia's verbal statements, according to the coalition.

In addition, the coalition also asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to continue to speak out in international forums regarding the importance of guaranteeing protection against vulnerable groups, such as women, children, and disabilities, in conflict areas and warning of domino effects that could arise from internal refugees.

"We hope that the recommendations we have submitted, including support for South Africa's (at the ICJ) lawsuit and emphasis on humanitarian issues, can be a positive contribution in resolving the conflict in Palestine," according to the coalition.

As is known, the UN General Assembly on January 17, 2023, has requested an advisory opinion from the ICJ regarding the legal consequences of Israel's policies and actions in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.

As a step of participation, Indonesia has submitted written input (written statement) to ICJ in July 2023, and Foreign Minister Retno Marsuki will deliver a verbal statement at the end of February at ICJ, The Hague, the Netherlands.