Jakarta. Indonesia welcomed a freshly adopted UN General Assembly resolution that demanded Israel to end its “unlawful presence” in Palestinian territories. 

The UN General Assembly recently voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution that demanded Israel to end its illegal occupation as rapidly as possible. As many as 124 countries -- including Indonesia, China, and Russia -- voted yes to the resolution. Fourteen countries such as Israel and its major military backer the United States were against the resolution, while 43 countries abstained. The resolution also gave Israel no more than 12 months to pull out of the occupied territories. 

“Indonesia welcomes the adoption of the UN General Assembly Resolution that calls Israel to end its illegal occupation in Palestine,” the Foreign Affairs Ministry said Thursday.

The resolution backs an advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) not long ago that called Israel’s prolonged and illegal occupation in Palestine as unlawful, according to the ministry. Indonesia expressed its readiness to back the implementation of the UN General Assembly resolution. Jakarta also still sees the “two-state solution” -- which envisions Palestine and Israel living side by side within recognized borders -- as the path to peace.

“Indonesia stands ready to support the implementation of the resolution and uphold the two-state solution for a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East,” the ministry said.

The newly adopted resolution is a follow-up to an advisory opinion issued by the ICJ back in July, which called Israeli occupation illegal under international law. This advisory opinion is not legally binding. However, Indonesia --and other pro-Palestine countries-- still place their hopes on the advisory opinion as it can have a great legal weight and moral authority.

The UK was among those that abstained in the resolution voting. UK Permanent Representative to the UN Barbara Woodward denied that the abstention was because her country did not support the central findings of the ICJ’s advisory opinion.

“But rather because the resolution does not provide sufficient clarity to effectively advance our shared aim of a peace premised on a negotiated two-state solution,” Woodward said.

The Health Ministry in Gaza earlier this week reported that the war had killed at least 41,272 people since the armed conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas intensified almost a year ago.

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