Tough Fight ahead of UNGA Vote

Diplomatic fight ahead of the UNGA vote was growing fierce after the US threatened the UN member states that favored the resolution.

AFP PHOTO/ABBAS MOMANI

A masked Palestinian protestor is seen during clashes with Israeli forces near the Qalandia checkpoint in the occupied West Bank on December 20, 2017 as protests continue following the US president\'s controversial recognition of Jerusalem as Israel\'s capital.

CAIRO, KOMPAS — The diplomatic fight over Jerusalem at the United Nations is becoming fierce. The Arab and Palestine caucuses and Organization of Islamic Cooperation announced on Wednesday (20/12) that they were ready to win the fight during Thursday’s voting at the UN General Assembly on the draft UN resolution on Jerusalem.

Kompas journalist Musthafa Abd Rahman reported from Cairo, Egypt, that the diplomatic fight ahead of the UNGA vote was growing fierce after the United States threatened the UN member states that favored the resolution. “The [US] President will be watching this vote carefully and has requested I report back on those countries who voted against us,” US Ambassador to UN Nikki Haley said in a letter sent to dozens of UN states in New York.

“We will take note of each and every vote on this issue," Haley wrote in the letter. She repeated the threat through her Twitter account.

In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also serves as foreign minister, instructed all Israeli embassies to lobby their host countries to opposed the draft UN resolution on Jerusalem at the UNGA.

The UNGA has decided to hold an emergency session on Jerusalem at the request of Yemen, representing the Arab caucus, and Turkey, representing the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. On Monday, the US vetoed the draft resolution Egypt proposed at the UN Security Council.

Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said the UN Arab caucus would soon meet to evaluate the situation and anticipate the UNGA vote.

In Jakarta, Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Indonesia Osama bin Mohammad al-Shuhaibi said that all Arab states supported Palestine.

Abu Zeid said the Arab and OIC caucuses in New York had undertaken intensive communication at the ambassadorial level with several UN states to ensure minimum support from all OIC and Non-Aligned Movement countries. NAM has 120 member states and 17 observers; the OIC has 57 member states. Many OIC member states are also NAM members. Meanwhile, the UN has 193 member states.

Arab League secretary-general Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the Arab caucus would try to get a binding decision from the General Assembly on Jerusalem. He said the Arab League was assessing several responses to US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel.

Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said Jordan would work with the Arab caucus in the UN in the fight to gain wide support for the draft UN resolution on Jerusalem.

In an effort to win the vote at the UNGA, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will fly to New York with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki. “We want the US to turn back from this wrong and unacceptable decision,” he said during a press conference in Baku, Azerbaijan.

In Jakarta, Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Indonesia Osama bin Mohammad al-Shuhaibi said that all Arab states supported Palestine. “We regret inaccurate news reports about the position of Arab states on this issue,” he said, accompanied by several ambassadors from Arab states during a press conference in Jakarta.

Egyptian Ambassador to Indonesia Ahmed Amr Ahmed Maned said the US veto at the UNSC violated UN traditions and regulations. A UN regulation stipulates that any country that is the object of a discussion was not allowed to vote. The rule also applies to countries that have the veto right. Aside from Egypt, Osama also invited ambassadors from Tunisia, Iraq, Libya, Algeria, Jordan, Bahrain, Oman, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Palestine.

KOMPAS/ TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Participants of the limited discussion on “The Future of Palestine after the Decision of Donald Trump” share a light moment on Wednesday (20/12) at the Jakarta headquarters of the Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals Association (ICMI). The discussion presented speakers ICMI chairman Jimly Asshiddiqie, Kompas deputy chief editor Trias Kunchayono, NU Middle East analyst Zuhairi Misrawi and ICMI foreign affairs department head Muhammad Najib.

Approaching China, Russia

In an attempt to find a peace sponsor to replace the US, Palestinian delegations have arrived in China and Russia. Palestine Liberation Front (PLO) executive committee member Ahmed Majdalani led the Palestinian delegation to China. Nabil Shaath, the foreign affairs advisor to President Mahmoud Abbas, headed the delegation to Russia.

Majdalani said the two Palestinian delegations would deliver a request to Russia and China on the need to find an international peace broker under the UN umbrella to replace the US.

Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz on Wednesday. The SPA news agency reported that King Salman promised Abbas that Saudi Arabia continued to support the Palestinian people in establishing an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

On Thursday, Abbas is scheduled to fly to Paris and will meet French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday. Abbas will also discuss the importance of finding a peace broker to replace the US.

Arab-language daily Asharq Al Awsat, reported on Tuesday that Palestine was calling for an international peace sponsor in Middle East that followed the P5+1 model, which led to the Iran nuclear deal framework in July 2015. The P5+1 model consists of US, Britain, France, China and Russia, plus Germany. In the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict, Palestine expected the model could be modified into P5+2 or P5+3, involving the UN and a few Arab states, such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia or Jordan.

Indonesia’s decision to collect support for Palestine after the US announcement was important in preventing misuse of the Palestine issue.

A conversation in Paris between Macron and Jordanian King Abdullah II on Tuesday agreed that France and Jordan chose to wait for President Donald Trump to announce the US peace initiative in the next two to three months.

Indonesian role

Indonesia has a chance to take the mediator role in the Palestine-Israel conflict. The idea emerged at the “Palestine’s Future Post Donald Trump Decision” discussion, organized by the Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals Association (ICMI) in Jakarta.

Middle East observer and Kompas deputy chief editor Trias Kuncahyono said Indonesia had an opportunity to take on the role as a mediator in the Palestine-Israel conflict, as Indonesia was one of the countries that had gathered support for Palestine shortly after Trump’s announcement. Indonesia was also widely accepted by countries in the region. “Indonesia can be pushed to become a peace mediator,” he said.

Also speaking at the discussion were Middle East analyst Zuhairi Misrawi and ICMI foreign affairs chairman Muhammad Najib. Zuhairi said that Indonesia’s decision to collect support for Palestine after the US announcement was important in preventing misuse of the Palestine issue. The Indonesian move placed the issue in perspective.

“The Palestine issue is prone to misuse by radical groups for their own interests. The government’s swift action ensured that the issue was not misused by radical groups,” he said.

Zuhairi added that the issue of Palestine was important not only for Indonesia, Palestine and other countries: former US president Jimmy Carter said the solution to the Palestine problem was the key to peace. “Trump’s move makes peace difficult,” he said.

(RAZ)