VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Ramadan, which is the holy month for Muslims around the world and this year falls from April 13 to May 13, closes with escalating conflicts between Israel and Palestine. Bloody clashes took place at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Jerusalem on Friday evening local time (7/5/2021) after Israeli police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades at Palestinians armed with stones. This incident is related to the threat of expulsion of Palestinians from their territory which is claimed by the Israeli settlers. The situation in Jerusalem has heated up following clashes between Palestinian residents and Israeli security forces in recent days.

The clashes were triggered by a police blockade of places where residents gathered after fasting, which is an obligation of Muslims to be carried out every day during the month of Ramadan. In addition, Israel also threatened to expel dozens of Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah area.

Refering to history, the Palestinian - Israeli conflict, especially in relation to the Seikh Jarrah area in East Jerusalem, began when 28 Palestinian families who were expelled by Israel from their hometowns in 1948 settled in that neighborhood. The expulsion is widely known as the Nakba (disaster) which resulted in hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fleeing their homes.

Various tug-of-war processes continue between Israel and Palestine regarding the Sheikh Jarrah area. However, what is in the world spotlight is the violence that often occurs to the point of casualties. Since Friday last week, Israeli forces have continued to launch relentless attacks and injured hundreds of Palestinians praying at the Al-Aqsa Mosque - the third holiest site for Muslims - as well as in Sheikh Jarrah, a settlement in the East of Jerusalem. This has certainly sparked global concern that the unrest could spread further. The violence around the Al-Aqsa mosque complex, which was generally at night, was declared the worst violence since 2017.

It is hoped that the Organization for Islamic Cooperation countries -OIC, as well as the United Nations -UN can act immediately to find the best solution for resolving the open conflict between Israel and Palestine, which is feared to worsen. The most important thing to do now is to stop acts of violence of both sides. Because the most disadvantaged and often become victims are civilians, especially women and children.

Hopefully, peace in this region can be achieved sooner.