VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Arsul Sani, deputy chairman of the United Development Party (PPP), urged the Indonesian Government to not ever contemplate on establishing diplomatic relations with Israel despite the associated economic benefits.

"A firm step must be taken, although diplomatic relations could offer economic benefits for Indonesia," Sani remarked here on Monday.

The stern measure is deemed necessary in response to the ongoing acts of violence committed by Israeli security forces against Palestinians, especially Muslims worshiping at the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex during the Islamic Holy Month of Ramadan.

Sani, concurrently legislator and deputy speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), affirmed that repeated brutalities against Palestinians are the typical trait of the Israeli Zionist government that does not care about what the world has to say.

"Hence, if there are elements of the government that think about an option of opening diplomatic relations or if there are parties, which secretly establish relations with Israel, it means they have forgotten about an ideal of the country's 1945 Constitution, which is to participate in implementing the world order based on lasting peace, independence, and social justice," he stated.

Sani additionally reminded that the Indonesian Government, especially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, should not stop at issuing statements condemning or vehemently denouncing Israeli violence, as a form of consistent support and solidarity with Palestinians.

The Indonesian government must also take diplomatic steps to apply pressure on Israel, especially since similar forms of criticism had also been voiced by several non-Muslim countries, he pointed out. Meanwhile, Indonesia has condemned the Israeli attack against Palestinian civilians at the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex and the forced evictions of six Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, East Jerusalem.

"Indonesia equally condemns the use of force against Palestinian civilians at the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex that resulted in hundreds of casualties and thereby hurt the sentiments of the Ummah," the Indonesian Foreign Ministry tweeted on its official Twitter account on Saturday. (Antaranews)