President Jokowi: Violence In Gaza Must Stop

President Joko Widodo spoke at the ASEAN-GCC Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Friday (20/10/2023). (ANTARA/HO-Host Photo of the ASEAN-GCC Summit)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has again called for acts of violence in Gaza to be stopped, and emphasized that humanitarian issues should be a priority, amid the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group.

At the Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Board of Cooperation for Arab Countries in the Gulf Region held in Riyadh on Friday, Jokowi invited ASEAN and GCC to jointly prevent the situation in Gaza from getting worse.

"We must not forget that the root of the problem is the occupation of the Palestinian territories by Israel, this must be resolved in accordance with the international parameters that have been agreed upon," Jokowi said at the ASEAN-GCC Summit quoted by ANTARA via the YouTube Secretariat of the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Friday, October 20.

The President also said the ASEAN and GCC positions must be clear and solid to support a just and lasting peace solution in Palestine.

ASEAN has urged an immediate cessation of violence and called for full respect for international humanitarian law in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In a joint statement with the ASEAN Foreign Minister released Friday, the regional organization strongly condemned acts of violence that killed and injured civilians, including ASEAN member nationals, and called on all parties to create a safe, fast, and barrier-free humanitarian corridor.

"ASEAN reaffirms its support for a negotiated two-state solution that allows Israel and Palestine to coexist in peace and security in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolution," ASEAN said in a statement.

"This will be the only way that can be taken to resolve the root causes of the conflict," said ASEAN.

Over the past 13 days, Israel has continued to bombard the trapped Palestinian territories to the point of claiming the death toll, which is now approaching 3,000, of which 750 are children.

Israel's attack targeted buildings in densely populated residential areas, which it accused Hamas of using.

The humanitarian disaster got worse when Israel cut off water, electricity and other supplies to Gaza. About 2 million people are experiencing a shortage of basic needs, which raises concerns from the United Nations and human rights groups.

Israel also ordered the evacuation of residents from northern Gaza, which affected more than 1 million people or nearly half of the entire population in the Palestinian enclave.

After attacking a hospital in Gaza on Tuesday, Israel on Thursday bombed the Greek orthodox church Saint Porphyrius in Gaza, where about 500 Palestinian Muslims and Christians are taking cover.