NAM Condemn Israel's Blockade of Conference in Ramallah

Jakarta Globe, August 06, 2012

Foreign ministers from the 13 countries on NAM’s Palestine Committee
 were to sign the so-called “Ramallah Declaration” supporting a Palestinian
 bid to upgrade its UN status from observer to non-member state. Ministers
blocked from entering Ramallah have criticized Israel for violating international
law. (AFP Photo).

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Indonesia and 12 members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)’s special committee for the support of Palestine’s freedom have condemned Israel for not giving access to the participants of an extraordinary summit in Ramallah, Palestine, on Sunday.

The summit was supposedly held on Sunday (August 5), but delegates were not allowed to enter Ramallah to attend it, according to a press release from the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry here on Sunday.

“Israel’s argument that some participating countries have no diplomatic ties so that it did not allow the participant to enter Ramallah is weak because it is known that the conference is going to be held in Palestine, not in Israel,” said the statement. 

The extraordinary summit supposedly taking place on Sunday (August 5) was expected to discuss the Palestinian people’s solidarity and to directly check the latest condition in Palestine after years of being occupied by Israel.

Foreign ministers from the 13 countries on NAM’s Palestine Committee were to sign the so-called “Ramallah Declaration” supporting a Palestinian bid to upgrade its UN status from observer to non-member state.

The Palestine Committee comprises ministers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Cuba, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Senegal, Colombia and India.

“The Israeli action violates the international law. We deeply deplore the fact that the extraordinary summit in Ramallah is cancelled due to its blockade. Israel’s latest action strengthens NAM’s intention to help the Palestinian people obtain their freedom,” the statement said.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr condemned Israel’s “blatant action,” saying: “It is a flagrant violation of the principles of international law and of Israel’s obligations as the occupying power.”

“This Israeli action highlights once again to NAM and to the whole international community the plight of the Palestinian people in their struggle to achieve full independence,” Amr said in Amman.

The delegates also asked NAM’s Coordination Bureau in New York to take the Israeli action seriously. 

Antara, AFP