Indonesia Stands Behind The Struggle Of The Palestinian People

Deputy Minister of Religion Zainut Tauhid Sa'adi (PHOTO VIA ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Deputy Minister of Religion Zainut Tauhid Sa'adi emphasized that the Indonesian nation has always stood behind the struggle of the Palestinian people to obtain their rights as an independent and sovereign state and nation.

"The Indonesian nation has always stood behind the struggle of the Palestinian people. The principle of the Indonesian nation is to oppose all forms of colonialism on earth because it is not in accordance with humanity and justice," said the Deputy Minister of Religion as quoted by Antara, Sunday, May 9.

He said the Israeli police's actions against Palestinians who fired rubber bullets and stun grenades at Palestinian youths at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque were "very heinous".

Moreover, the dispersal and shooting at the Al-Aqsa Mosque was amid growing anger over the potential for displacement of Palestinians from land claimed by Jewish settlers.

"Not to mention the expulsion of Palestinians who live in the Sheikh Jarrah area, east of Jerusalem. This is a form of arbitrariness against human values," he said.

Zainut invited the Indonesian people to continue to provide support for the Palestinian people and while praying for the Creator to provide help and safety to them.

"I invite all Indonesian Muslims to continue to provide support for the struggle of the Palestinian people and pray for them. May Allah SWT immediately sends help and provide safety for the Palestinians," he said.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) stated that international countries must put emphasis on Israel to be subject to sanctions after attacking Palestinians at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

"This empathetic and constructive step can also be taken by European Union countries and others. Together these countries can exert international pressure on Israel through the United Nations. If necessary, Israel will be given international sanctions," said the Chairman of the MUI for Foreign Relations. and International Cooperation Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim.

Thousands of Palestinians confronted several hundred Israeli police in riot gear. Tensions have risen in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank during the holy month of Ramadan.

Clashes occur every night in Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem - an area where many Palestinian families face eviction in a long-running legal case.