Indonesia Welcomes The Resolution Of The UN General Assembly On Palestine, The Challenge Is To Ensure Israel Obeys

Director General of Aspasaf of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Abdul Kadir Jailani. (Source: Rafly/Infomed/Kemlu RI)

JAKARTA - Indonesia welcomes the resolution of the UN General Assembly on Palestine this week, but the challenge is how the content of the resolution can be obeyed, said a senior Indonesian diplomat.

The Meeting of the Tenth Emergency Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, United States last Wednesday adopted a resolution demanding Israel "end without delaying its unlawful presence" in the occupied Palestinian Territories, quoted from the UN Site.

The resolution received the support of 124 countries, including Indonesia. The resolution requires Israel to comply with international law and withdraw its military forces, immediately stop all new settlement activities, evacuate all settlers from occupied territories, and dismantle parts of the dividing walls built in the occupied West Bank.

Meanwhile, 43 countries have declared abstention and 14 other countries are against resolution. The United States, Israel and Hungary are among the countries that refuse. Meanwhile, Australia, Britain, the Netherlands and Ukraine are among the countries that choose abstain.

"The resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly a few days ago is a good step. Because this is a follow-up of the ICJ (International Court) advisory opinion, we support, we see this as a step forward," said Director General of Asia Pacific and African Ministry of Foreign Affairs Abdul Kadir Jailani in a press statement in Jakarta, Friday 20 September.

"The challenge is once again, how do we ensure that everything requested in that resolution can be obeyed," he said.

Palestinian Ambassador Riyadh Mansour called the vote a turning point "in our fight for freedom and justice".

Although non-binding, the General Assembly's resolution has symbolic and political weights as it reflects the position of all 193 UN member states.

The opinion of the ICJ adviser - which is also not legally binding - said a panel of 15 judges had found "the continued presence of Israel in the occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful" and that the country was "obliged to end its unlawful presence as soon as possible".

The court also said Israel should "vacuate all settlers from the occupied Palestinian Territories" and "provide compensation for the damage caused to all persons or related legal entities".