The 45th President of the United States Donald Trump frequently declared controversial issues drawing public attention. He recently posted on one of the social media accounts stating that he recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and will move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Talking about Jerusalem is a sensitive issue for the relations between Arab states Israel. It is a sacred place for Christians, Jews, and Muslims since Al-Aqsa mosque is the first qibla of Islam. An academician of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) Ratih Herningtyas, S.IP., M.A. said that Trump’s unilateral statement destroy any policy of two-state solution which two states for two groups of people.
“It is considered that Trump infringed covenant of status quo of Jerusalem to solve Israel-Palestine by a two-state solution. Trump’s recognition shows that foreign policy of the United States applied double standard in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” conveyed Ratih, who is an international relations lecturer of UMY, in an interview on Thursday (7/12).
Even though it is only a statement, Jerusalem can possibly substitute Tel Aviv. “The possibility to move the capital city of Israel relies on Trump’s bravery. The world condemns Trump, and President Edorgan will leverage this circumstance, through the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, as a momentum to invite state members of the OIC and Muslim community to defy Trump’s policy. Trump may not disregard a huge possibility of the emergence of an Anti-American movement threatening national security and US interests,” Ratih maintained.
Indeed, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Retno Marsudi quickly responded Trump’s recognition though summoning the US ambassador to Indonesia to explain Trump’s statement. Indonesia has committed to support the freedom of Palestine as mentioned on the 1945 Constitution UUD 1945), and the decision to call the US ambassador is a strategic action to emphasize Indonesia’s position toward the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Besides, Indonesia intensively communicates and cooperates with state members of ASEAN and the OCI to refuse Trump’s unilateral statement. This response should be undertaken since a status of Jerusalem on Partition Plan 1944 bearing a two-state solution should be resolved involving Israel and Palestine to find a win-win solution of the conflict and may not be decided unilaterally.
