China and Indonesia call for cease-fire in Gaza

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (right) shakes hands with Foreign Minister Wang Yi during their bilateral
meeting in Jakarta yesterday

The Chinese and Indonesian foreign ministers called for an immediate and lasting cease-fire in Gaza after a meeting in Jakarta yesterday, condemning the humanitarian costs of Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas.

Indonesia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi told reporters that the two countries share the same view about the importance of a cease-fire and of resolving the Palestinian problem through a two-state solution.

“I am sure that China would use its influence to prevent escalation,” Marsudi said, adding that China and Indonesia “would also fully support Palestine’s membership in the U.N.”

The meeting took place on the second day of a six-day tour during which Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will also visit Papua New Guinea and Cambodia.

Wang blamed the United States for holding up cease-fire resolutions at the U.N.

“The conflict in Gaza has lasted for half a year and caused a rare humanitarian tragedy in the 21st century. The United Nations Security Council responded to the call of the international community and continued to review the resolution draft on the cease-fire in Gaza, but it was repeatedly vetoed by the United States,” Wang told reporters.

The U.S. vetoed a number of proposed Security Council resolutions because they didn’t tie cease-fire directly to the release of Israel hostages or condemn Hamas’ attacks that prompted the war, before allowing a resolution to a pass with an abstention in late March.

American officials have argued that the cease-fire and hostage releases are linked, while Russia, China and many other council members favored unconditional calls for a cease-fire.

“This time, the U.S. did not dare to stand in opposition to international morality and chose to abstain. However, the US claimed that this resolution was not binding,” Wang said. “In the eyes of the United States, international law seems to be a tool that can be used whenever it finds useful and discarded if it does not want to use it.”

The two ministers also discussed their countries’ economic relationship and the South China Sea. MDT/AP