Statement by
Ambassador Rezlan Ishar Jenie
Permanent Representative of Indonesia
before the Security Council
on the Situation in the Middle East, including
the Palestinian Question

New York, 19 April 2004

Mr. President,

My delegation is shocked at the assassination by Israel on Saturday of the new Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) leader, Dr. Abdulaziz AI- Rantissi. Also falling prey to Israeli missiles were two of his bodyguards, and several Palestinian citizens. We would like to express our condolences to the family of the bereaved, and to the Palestinian people.

This brutal assassination comes less than one month after. Israel similarly murdered Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, who was Dr. AI-Rantissi's predecessor, and the organization's spiritual leader and founder, which was roundly condemned by Indonesia at that time. Unfortunately, history has been repeated.

Indonesia unreservedly condemns this reckless disregard for human life, and for the views and sensitivities of the international community. As we have said in the past, apart from the illegality of Israel's targeted assassinations, the policy can only promote violence and insecurity, not peace.

We would like to stress that the militaristic approach of the Government of Israel contributes nothing in the direction of peace, and favours neither the Government of Israel nor its people. The strategy has only yielded further return violence in the past, and there is no reason to expect that it will not do so now.

What is worse is that this assassination confirms Israel's loss of interest and commitment in the peace process. It is difficult to see how this assassination is capable of enhancing Israel's security, or promoting peace.

Mr. President,

Indonesia once again calls on Israel to return its faith to negotiations with the Palestinians, not in guns and bullets, or in artificial walls of separation and security. It is of the utmost importance immediately to halt the brutal extra-judicial assassinations of Palestinians that can only inspire revenge violence.

Finally, we call on the international community to put the necessary pressure on Israel to return to the negotiating table, and to prevent Israel from repeating this pattern of extra-judicial executions. It is only in the faithful implementation of the Road Map that a just and comprehensive settlement of the crisis can ever be realized.