Jakarta (ANTARA) - People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Deputy Speaker Hidayat Nur Wahid appealed to all Indonesians to show their firm rejection of the Israeli occupation on the Palestinian people's land.

Wahid echoed his call during a peaceful rally that several thousand pro-Palestinian protesters staged in front of the United States embassy building in Central Jakarta on Saturday.

"Indonesian people need to keep standing with other nations across the world to show their firm rejection of Israel's acts of crime against humanity to the People of Gaza and Palestine as a whole," he affirmed.

Wahid said he lauded and thanked the Indonesian Government for its ongoing support for the Palestinians' struggle for independence.

The rally was staged to commemorate the 100th day of what Wahid calls as the Israeli genocide on the innocent people of the besieged Gaza Strip.

Wahid said he thanked the Council of Islamic Organizations (MOI), the Indonesian Coalition for Defending Baitul Maqdis (KIBBM), and Muslim figures for their support and participation in the rally.

ANTARA reported earlier that Indonesian Vice President Ma'ruf Amin affirmed that Israel's ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip is not an act of self-defense but a genocidal campaign against Palestinians.

"The world regards what Israel has been doing (to Palestinians in Gaza since October 7, 2023) has gone beyond an act of self-defense. Instead, it has been a genocide," he stated recently.

Related news: Indonesia consistent in defending Palestinians' rights: Minister

Fresh armed conflict erupted between Israel and Palestine following a surprise attack by Hamas on Israel early in the morning on October 7, 2023.

Prior to the assaults by Palestinian liberation fighters, Israel had continued its closure of Gaza crossings.

Palestine's news agency WAFA reported on September 25, 2023, that the Israeli closure of Gaza crossings had worsened the living conditions of Palestinians in Gaza.

According to WAFA, the Palestinians had already suffered from the severe impact of "more than 17 years of tight Israeli land, sea, and air blockades."

Al Jazeera quoted Hamas, which governs Gaza, as saying that its assault on Israel was "a response to the desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and increased settler violence."

In response to the unprecedented surprise attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on Hamas and, according to Al Jazeera, pledged that the Israeli forces would "turn all Hamas hideouts into rubble."

Since then, the Israeli occupation forces continue their bombardment and ground operations in Gaza that have led to the deaths of more than 23 thousand civilians, many of whom are women and children.

Related news: Indonesia urges humanitarian aid to Gazans in Israel-Hamas conflict

Related news: Indonesia reaffirms support for Palestine at UNHRC Headquarters

Translator: Siti N, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Copyright © ANTARA 2024