Sugiono Highlights Palestinian Situation at UN Security Council

RRI.CO.ID, New York – Indonesian Foreign Minister, Sugiono, delivered a national statement at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the issue of Palestine, at the UN Headquarters in New York on Wednesday, 18 February 2026, local time.

The meeting, chaired by UK Foreign Minister, Yvette Cooper, as the UNSC President for February 2026, discussed the latest developments in the Middle East, particularly in Palestine, which continues to face ceasefire violations, violence, and unilateral actions leading to de facto annexation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Several foreign ministers from UN member states also attended, including those from Egypt, Jordan, and Pakistan.

During the meeting, Minister Sugiono emphasized that although a ceasefire is in place in Gaza, the humanitarian situation remains dire. “More than 570 lives have been lost and over 1,500 people injured since the ceasefire was implemented. Basic infrastructure and essential services remain destroyed,” Sugiono said in an official statement released by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, 19 February 2026.

Minister Sugiono stressed that the UNSC’s responsibility is not only to maintain the ceasefire but also to expand space for peace. These efforts must be supported by the protection of civilians and humanitarian access that is fast, safe, and unhindered. Humanitarian aid is not merely a gesture of goodwill but a legal obligation under international humanitarian law.

Highlighting developments in the West Bank, Minister Sugiono strongly condemned Israel’s land registration and other administrative measures that strengthen control over the occupied territory.

These actions lack legal validity and violate UNSC resolutions, including Resolution 2334 (2016). Israel, as the occupying power, does not have sovereignty over the territory. Sugiono also reminded that peace cannot be achieved if actions that undermine the prospects for a political solution continue unchecked. The UNSC is urged to act with unity and determination to maintain the credibility of the existing peace framework.

Indonesia believes that a just and sustainable resolution can only be achieved through a Two-State Solution based on internationally agreed parameters. In this context, Minister Sugiono emphasized that the work of the UNSC and the Board of Peace (BoP), established under Resolution 2803 (2025), must reinforce each other and not deviate from the same direction.

“Peace can follow different paths, but it must not have different directions,” the minister said. He also stressed that Indonesia’s involvement in the BoP will remain consistent with the UN Charter and the principles of multilateralism.

The UNSC session concluded Minister Sugiono’s agenda in New York before he continued to Washington, D.C., to accompany the President of Indonesia in attending the BoP inaugural meeting on 19 February 2026.