VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Dozens of Indonesians gathered in front of the US embassy here on Tuesday, calling for a boycott of US and Israeli products to show solidarity with the Palestinian people’s struggle in Gaza and the West Bank.

The boycott must be launched because the US has been supporting the Israeli military’s attacks against the Palestinian people over the last two weeks, they claimed.

“Actually, Israel has no power whatsoever. They, however, feel strong and great because the Zionists are supported by the United States. US political power, like it or not, is supported by its economic strength. So, if we want to fight Zionist Israel and the US, there is no other way, but we have to boycott their economic strength,” deputy chairperson of the Indonesian Youth National Committee (KNPI), Amin Ngabalin, said after giving a speech in front of the embassy, here on Tuesday.

The total trade between Indonesia and the United States in 2020 reached US$27.2 billion, with Indonesia recording a surplus of US$10.04 billion, he noted.

Despite the absence of diplomatic ties, Indonesia and Israel have engaged in trade relations, he said.

Data from the Central Statistics Agency shows that in the first quarter of 2021, Indonesia imported 144 tons of goods, worth US$1,785,870, from Israel.

Goods imported by Indonesia from Israel included spare parts or components of weapons; engine components; electronic devices; plantation products such as coffee, dates; electrical equipment; battery components; and, machinery for cigarette production.

Meanwhile, during the same period, Indonesia exported more than 11 thousand tons of goods, valued at US$30,986,779, to Israel.

Palestinian civil society networks have been campaigning for boycotts, divestments, and sanctions (BDS) targeting Israel in the international community since 2005, Ngabalin said.

They are believed to be one way of putting pressure on Israel for colonizing Palestine and launching military attacks in the Gaza Strip, he added.

At least 212 Palestinians, including 61 children and 36 women, have been killed in the latest round of violence in Gaza.  (Antaranews)