"The government and people of Indonesia are saddened and express our deepest condolences against the killing of Palestinian civilians, including children, who were demonstrating at the Gaza-Israel borders," Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs saidJakarta (ANTARA News) - In less than 24 hours on May 14, 2018, 62 Palestinians were killed and more than 2,000 were injured by Israeli forces, on the same day when Israel and the United States celebrated the move of US embassy to Jerusalem.
The slaughter of Palestinians were condemned worldwide including by the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, the Security Council, and Indonesia.
The Government of Indonesia, in a statement on May 15, strongly condemned the excessive use of force and the shootings of Palestinian civilians, who were demonstrating at the Gaza-Israel borders, by Israeli Army.
"The government and people of Indonesia are saddened and express our deepest condolences against the killing of Palestinian civilians, including children, who were demonstrating at the Gaza-Israel borders," Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Indonesia, furthermore, called on the United Nations Security Council to immediately convene in order to take urgent steps and conduct an independent international investigation to hold responsible all perpetrators of such violence.
The Southeast Asian country also called on the international community to continue the struggle for justice for an independent and sovereign Palestinian nation.
The Government of Indonesia has also strongly condemned the illegal decision by the US Administration to open its embassy in Jerusalem by calling the move as a violation of a number of resolutions of UN Security Council and UN General Assembly, as well as jeopardizing the peace process in Palestine.
Indonesia has urged the UN Security Council and General Assembly to hold a meeting to take firm actions to address the unilateral move by US, and called upon all states to refrain from supporting the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the so-called capital of Israel and not to relocate their diplomatic missions to the holy city of Muslims, Christians, and Jews.
"The Government and people of Indonesia will remain with the Palestinian people in fighting for their freedom and rights," it stated.
The United States opened its embassy in Jerusalem on May 14, a move that fulfilled US President Donald Trump`s pledge. The move has delighted Israel and infuriated Palestinians and drawn criticism from many foreign governments for being a setback to peace efforts.
Furthermore, the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) has alsostrongly condemned the US Embassy being moved to Jerusalem that has drawn criticism from the international community.
"I strongly condemn the US embassy`s move. In fact, during an emergency session of the UN General Assembly, 128 participating countries firmly rejected the unilateral claim of Jerusalem as Israel`s capital," Bambang Seosatyo, Indonesia`s house speaker, noted in Jakarta, on May 17.
He pointed out that the US government had disrespected the decision of the UN General Assembly.
Soesatyo has urged the UN to take stern measures and hold an emergency session in response to the US embassy being shifted.
"Trump`s decision has clearly destroyed peace efforts to end the Palestinian and Israeli conflict. This can trigger anger among Muslims across the world against the US," he added.
The US embassy being moved could trigger a new and bigger conflict, Golkar`s politician cautioned.
"The UN should intervene. If we remain silent, I am afraid it could trigger terrorism that could threaten world peace," he noted.
The house speaker urged the foreign ministry to summon the US ambassador to Indonesia to lodge a protest with the US government.
The Indonesian government must push the UN to conduct an investigation over the murders of tens of Palestinians by the Israeli forces lately.
"Indonesia is the largest Muslim nation. We must play a bigger role in the fight for Palestine`s independence. Moreover, our Constitution is clearly against any form of colonialism in the world," he added.
The Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Agency of the Indonesian DPR has remained consistent in supporting Palestine`s struggle for independence at various international meetings, such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Parliamentary Union of the OIC, and ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Agency.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Chairman of the Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Body (BKSAP) of the RI House of Representatives, Rofi Munawar, has criticized Israel`s actions, which has led to the death of more than 55 Palestinians on the Gaza Strip`s border with the annexed territory.
"It is ironic that this happened simultaneously with the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem, while Israeli soldiers are brutally and blindly shooting Palestinians. It is an evidence which points out that Israel has deliberately committed genocide and premeditated murder," Munawar told media on May 15.
He added that the United States should be responsible for the deadly incidents in Gaza Strip. "They are having a celebration amid the death of tens of Palestinians who fought for their homeland. The US has contributed to the darkest history of the peace process in the Middle East," he stated.
He explained that Palestinians have been protesting for nearly six weeks as part of the commemoration of the Nakba Day (the Day of Catastrophe).
On May 11, 2018, a major rally involving several Muslim organizations was held at the National Monument (Monas) Square in Jakarta, protesting the US embassy move to Jerusalem and demonstrating Indonesian people`s solidarity with Palestinians.
"On behalf of the people of Indonesia, we demand [US President Donald] Trump not arbitrarily take action over Palestine, and pay attention to the sense of world justice, and maintain world peace. We have a mandate in the 1945 Constitution that colonisation should be abolished because it is not in accordance with humanity and justice," the Chairman of the Indonesian Coalition for Bayt Al Maqdis Freedom, Bachtiar Nasir, said on the sidelines of the rally.
The US decision, he said, had humiliated Muslims because it was a form of recognition for Israel that had been colonising Palestine for more than 70 years, killing and expelling millions of Palestinians from their homeland since 1948.
He asserted that the rally was an effort to continue the struggle of the world leaders who at the 1955 Asian-African Conference in Bandung (West Java) declared Palestine should be liberated from colonialism.
"We call on all Indonesian people to seriously fight for the mandate of the 1945 Constitution and continue the struggle of the leaders," Nasir said.
(T.F001/A/KR-BSR/A/H-YH)
Reporter: Fardah Assegaf
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
