Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia at the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit, at the King Abdulaziz International Convention Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 11, 2023

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,

His Royal Highness Prince Muhammad bin Salman Al Saud,

Your Excellencies, the leaders and heads of delegations of the OIC Forum,

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Indonesia supports the OIC Summit and it is very appropriate to hold this summit and the OIC must be able to produce concrete things so that Israel’s atrocities in Gaza can stop immediately.

These atrocities have been going on for a month and the world seems helpless although there are more than 7.9 billion people in the world and more than 190 leaders of countries, but until now no one has been able to stop these atrocities. Therefore, the OIC must stand united and be at the forefront to resolve this problem.

Let me voice several concrete things.

Firstly, a ceasefire must be implemented immediately. Without any ceasefire, the situation will not improve and Israel has used the narrative of self-defense and continues to kill civilians. This is nothing but collective punishment and we all must find a way for Israel to immediately implement a ceasefire.

Secondly, humanitarian assistance must be accelerated and its scope expanded. The OIC must propose a more predictable and sustainable aid delivery mechanism. Indonesia has also sent humanitarian aid and will add more in the time to come. On the other hand, the humanitarian situation there is also alarming. The Indonesian Hospital in North Gaza incessantly becomes the target of Israel’s attacks and has run out of fuel. To that tend, Indonesia asks all parties to respect international humanitarian law.

Thirdly, the OIC must use all fronts to demand Israel be held accountable for the humanitarian atrocities it has committed, for example by pressing for access to the independent international commission of inquiry of the occupied Palestinian territory which was formed by the UN Human Rights Council to carry out its mandate and by continuously supporting the advisory opinion process in International Court of Justice.

Fourthly, the OIC must urge that peace negotiations restart immediately to realize a two-state solution and reject the idea of a one state solution that will definitely victimize Palestine. And, if the quartet mechanism is no longer reliable, the OIC must encourage the peace negotiation process with a new format and Indonesia is ready to contribute to the peace negotiations.

Lastly, once again, the OIC must stand united and be at the forefront using all peaceful means, all influence, all diplomatic efforts to defend justice and humanity for Palestine. And, after leaving Riyadh, I am also already scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden on Monday for a bilateral visit to the United States. With the permission of the leaders, I will deliver the results of today’s OIC decision to President Biden.

I thank you.

Wassalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

(TM/EP)