Deputy Foreign Minister Anis Matta Urges OIC to Take Concrete Action Against Israel
The Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Indonesia, Anis Matta, has reaffirmed Indonesia’s position urging the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to immediately take concrete steps in response to Israel’s actions. This was stated by Anis during the 23rd Extraordinary OIC Ministerial Meeting (KTM-LB) held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday.
Anis emphasised that the OIC must be able to build the organisation’s authority through concrete and sustainable actions, rather than merely issuing statements or verbal condemnations. According to him, the current situation in the Middle East has reached a highly critical point.
“The OIC must be able to build the organisation’s authority, not through condemnations and statements, but through real and sustainable action,” Anis said in a statement received in Jakarta.
During the forum, Indonesia once again highlighted various violations of international law committed by Israel. Anis Matta, representing Foreign Minister Sugiono, warned that the impact of the ongoing regional war has extended far beyond the borders of the Middle East. He assessed that Israel is exploiting the divided attention of OIC members to continue its crimes.
“The OIC must maximise its capabilities and mechanisms to demand accountability from Israel for its various crimes and to categorise the violent actions of illegal settlers as acts of terrorism,” he said.
Indonesia is encouraging the OIC to utilise all available mechanisms to demand accountability from Israel. One crucial point proposed is the categorisation of violence perpetrated by illegal Israeli settlers as terrorism.
On the sidelines of the conference, Deputy Foreign Minister Anis Matta also held a series of bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers of Sudan, Palestine, and Qatar, as well as the deputy foreign ministers of Turkey and Somalia. These meetings discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation as well as regional and global issues of mutual interest.
Indonesia’s active participation in this extraordinary ministerial meeting is a tangible manifestation of the constitutional mandate to participate in advancing world peace. The government’s primary focus at present is to halt the escalation of war in the Middle East, which is having negative global impacts.