Indonesia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Arrmanatha Ch. Nasir, regretted that the agreement on a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was only achieved after tens of thousands of lives were lost.

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – Indonesia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Arrmanatha Ch. Nasir, has called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to immediately take concrete steps to end the suffering of the Palestinian people, following the agreement on a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Indonesia’s Deputy Foreign Minister made the remark in an Open Session at the UNSC discussing the Middle East and Palestine issue on Monday (Jan. 20)

“We welcome the achievement of a ceasefire in Gaza, and this agreement must be the first step towards achieving peace in the Middle East,” the Deputy Foreign Minister said as quoted by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday (Jan. 21).

However, Arrmanatha also regretted that this agreement was only achieved after tens of thousands of lives were lost. "The UNSC must ensure that every phase of this agreement is fully implemented and stop the repeated violence," he stressed.

He highlighted the continued expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, accompanied by increasingly uncontrolled violence and impunity.

In his statement, the Deputy Minister conveyed two things that he said should be the main focus after the ceasefire agreement, namely:

First is ending the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Arrmanatha called for humanitarian aid to be distributed immediately without hindrance, in line with the call of the UN Secretary-General.

He also emphasized the importance of ensuring safety for humanitarian workers and urged that Gaza reconstruction efforts begin to be prepared, including lifting the 18-year blockade that has crippled Gaza's economy.

"The role of UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) is crucial in achieving these steps. The UNSC must protect UNRWA from all threats and disinformation campaigns that attack this institution," he said.

Second is developing a comprehensive political solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, by supporting the two-state solution as a way to peace.

The Deputy Minister emphasized that the two-state solution is the only way to a just future for Palestine and Israel. "Other alternatives will only result in apartheid and oppression," he said.

He invited the international community to encourage sincere dialogue, in order to address the root causes of colonialism and historical injustice in Palestine.

The Deputy Minister also called for Indonesia's full support and commitment to the success of the High Level International Conference on the Implementation of the Two-State Solution which will take place next June, as a concrete step to realize peace.

Inviting the UNSC to assert its relevance amidst the increasingly complex global situation, Arrmanatha called on the permanent member states of the UNSC to end the deadlock and encourage UNSC reform.

"History will judge whether the UNSC is able to rise to the challenge or become irrelevant," he said.

The UNSC Open Debate Session this time was chaired by Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf, who served as UNSC President in January.

The ‘Middle East, including the Palestinian Question’ agenda has been one of the UNSC’s main programs for more than seven decades and is discussed regularly every three months.

Indonesia’s active participation in the session showed its strong commitment to the Palestinian struggle, which is in line with the statement of the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sugiono, in the annual press statement of the Minister of Foreign Affairs earlier this month.

Present at the open session at the UNSC were seven countries at the ministerial level, including Palestine, Slovenia, Colombia, Namibia and Sierra Leone, which confirmed the Palestinian issue as a problem of high concern for countries in various regions.

Reporting by Indonesia Window