Indonesia, Spain reaffirm support to protect Palestinian culture

hartono · Jul 17, 2026

Indonesia, Spain reaffirm support to protect Palestinian culture

Indonesian Minister of Culture Fadli Zon (r) and Spanish Minister of Culture Ernest Urtasun in a bilateral meeting in Madrid, Spain, on Wednesday (July 15, 2026). (ANTARA/HO-Indonesia's Ministry of Culture)

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia and Spain have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their support for the protection of Palestinian heritage during a recent meeting in Madrid, Spain.

According to a statement received here on Thursday, Indonesian Culture Minister Fadli Zon and Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun conveyed the support during a meeting on the sidelines of the International Conference on the Reconstruction of the Cultural Sector in Palestine, held in Madrid, Spain, from July 15 to 16.

"Indonesia is a country with the largest Muslim population in the world. However, our support for the Palestinian struggle is not solely due to that factor; it comes broadly from the government, the parliament, and the Indonesian people at large," Zon remarked.

He noted the meeting also highlighted mutual support for the establishment of the International Alliance for the Protection of Palestinian Culture in an effort to safeguard Palestinian identity and cultural heritage.

Minister Zon praised the Spanish government's initiative in bolstering international support to protect Palestinian culture.

In response, Minister Urtasun expressed his appreciation for Indonesia's unwavering commitment to the Palestinian cause, emphasising that Spain shares a similarly strong resolve to support the Palestinian people.

"We have a strong commitment in supporting Palestine. Together with UNESCO, we have made significant efforts to support culture in Ukraine and we believe similar efforts must also be undertaken for Palestine," Urtasun said.

Several global initiatives have been established to help safeguard Palestinian heritage. Currently, UNESCO is developing various programmes to support the protection of Palestinian culture.

Furthermore, the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), in conjunction with the Arab League, is carrying out various initiatives to synergise international efforts to preserve Palestinian cultural heritage.

While in Madrid, Zon also held a bilateral meeting with Palestinian Culture Minister Emad Al-Din Hamdan on the sidelines of the conference.

The two ministers agreed to advance cultural cooperation based on a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in September 2025.

During their meeting, Zon shared Indonesia's plan to establish a Palestinian Museum at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII), a cultural park in Jakarta, as part of the nation's ongoing commitment to support the struggle of the Palestinian people.