RI strongly condemns Israel's siege of Arafat HQ
Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Indonesian government strongly denounced on Monday Israel's siege of the West Bank headquarters of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, demanding that the Jewish state stop the offensive immediately.
"Indonesia strongly condemns the recent intensification by Israeli military forces of the siege and destruction of the headquarters of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press statement.
"It demands that Israel immediately end its siege and destruction... and fully comply with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council," it added.
The ministry said the Israeli military aggression shows "continued defiance against the will of the international community as reflected in the relevant resolutions".
It added that the siege was a "much-discredited attempt" to sideline and harm Arafat.
"Through its actions, Israel is once again threatening the stability and security of the region and jeopardizing the future of the peace process," the statement said.
Indonesia reiterated "its support and solidarity with the people of Palestine" over the offensive.
The world's most populous Muslim country with about 85 percent of its 210 million people followers of Islam, Indonesia has no diplomatic relations with Israel.
Such a condemnation against Israel was not the first. Jakarta had several times lodged strong protests against the Jewish state, which is one of the United States' allies, over its brutal attacks on the Palestinians. Nonetheless, such protestations have always been ignored.
Noted Muslim scholar Azyumardi Azra hailed Indonesia's move to condemn the Israeli siege of Arafat's headquarters in the West Bank, but urged the government to do more to step up pressure against Israel's offensive.
Such a condemnation would be ineffective should Indonesia not take more progressive action aimed at forcing Israel to lift the siege and destruction.
"Indonesia along with other ASEAN countries should propose a new resolution, so the UN Security Council will force Israel to end the attack," he told The Jakarta Post on Monday night.
He added that Indonesia should lobby members of the UN Security Council to back a motion against all Israeli aggression.
"President Megawati (Soekarnoputri) can emulate what President (George W.) Bush has done in soliciting support for the war on terrorism. She should call up the leaders of Russia and China or France and Germany to back our steps," said Azyumardi, rector of the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) in Jakarta.
"Indonesia should therefore be more proactive in this regard," he added.
Azyumardi said Israel must be prevented from pressing on with its "arbitrary action" against the Palestinians aimed at "dismantling" their houses and territory.
The United States, which appeared to be quite aggressive in its global campaign against terrorism, should also move to immediately step in to put an end to Israel's "barbaric aggression", which had been dubbed by many as state terrorism, he added.
Meanwhile, several Arab states along with France rallied on Monday behind a Palestinian demand for the UN to exert pressure on Israel to lift the siege.
France considers the siege to be "unacceptable" and is trying to negotiate a solution between the various parties, ministry spokesman Francois Rivasseau was quoted by AFP as saying.
"The destructive operations have ended, but an unacceptable siege is ongoing around the offices of Mr Arafat. The occupants remain cut off from all contact with the outside world and are in a precarious and humiliating situation," he said.