Indonesia condemns Israeli actions at UNSC emergency meeting

Friday, 2 January 2009
ANTARA News Agency

Indonesia, during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) to discuss the latest situation in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday , condemned Israel`s brutal air strikes which had killed over 400 Palestinians.

Marty Natalegawa, the Indonesian Permanent Representative to the UN Headquarters in New York, expressed Indonesia`s deep disappointment about the barbaric Zionist violence, according to a release from the permanent representative`s office on Thursday.

"My delegation would like to begin by expressing in the clearest manner possible, its outrage and strong condemnation of the continued milatary onslaught by Israel in the Gaza Strip.

"For days now, we have all been witnessing the excessive and disaproportionate use of force by Israel; of collective punishment of innocent civilians in contravention of international humanitarian law, including the Geneve Convention." he said.

Marty reminded that at least 1.5 million Palestinian citizens in the Gaza Strip were currently living in fear, while many of the innocents like wowen and children were killed.

Indonesia was also concerned about international humanitarian workers as most of them were facing the risk of being killed and injured in implementing their humanitarian mission to the region.

At the emergency meeting on Thursday, non-permanent member of UNSC Lybia representing the Arab world proposed a draft resolution which in principle slammed the Israeli air strikes and ordered a stop to the Israeli aggrassion in addition to the opening of streets to let humanitarian assistance flow to Gaza.

The draft resolution also contained a call on the international community to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip and to overcome humanitarian problem in the region, and stressed the importance of creating a peaceful situation in the region.

The holding of the UNSC emergency meeting accorded with Indonesia`s recent call on the Council to take steps like the issuance of UNSC resolution if Israeli stance remained unchanged, as Zionist country often defied international law.