VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Zainut Tauhid Sa'adi reprised that Indonesia always stands behind Palestinians in gaining their rights to have 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 since it is not in accordance with humanity and justice," Sa'adi noted in a statement here on Sunday.

The minister denounced the violence committed by the Israeli police against Palestinians by firing rubber bullets and stun grenades at Palestinian youngsters at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, calling the acts as exceedingly heinous.

Moreover, protests erupted at the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex following the evictions of Palestinian families from their homes claimed by Jewish settlers in the Sheikh Jarrah area, East Jerusalem.

Sa'adi urged Indonesians to continue to support the Palestinian people and pray to Allah to offer help and safety to the Palestinians.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has sought for international sanctions to be imposed against Israel over the attacks launched on Palestinian worshippers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

"This empathetic and constructive step can also be taken by the European Union countries and others. These countries can unitedly exert international pressure on Israel through the United Nations. If necessary, Israel will be sanctioned internationally," Chairman of MUI's Foreign Relations and International Cooperation Affairs, Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim, stated.

Last Saturday, the Indonesian Government had vehemently denounced 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)