VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Indonesian government is committed to providing financial assistance worth 7 million US dollars or about Rp110 billion to support various Palestinian development programs. This was discussed by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi and Palestinian Foreign Minister, Riyad al-Maliki during a bilateral consultation in Jakarta on last Tuesday (10/16). Minister Retno Marsudi in a joint press statement with her counterpart Minister al-Maliki said that the assistance is a concrete contribution to the Palestinian community. She affirmed that most of the total aid is used to increase significant contributions to the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) from US$ 200,000 to US$ 2 million during 2019-2020. Meanwhile, the assistance of the Indonesian people to Palestine reaches US$2.92 million dollars and 2,000 tons of rice.In addition, the National Zakat Agency (Baznas) will also provide financial assistance to UNRWA and the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization for Palestinian refugees. The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) is currently discussing plans to build an Indonesian hospital in Hebron. The total assistance will also cover the area of capacity building. The Indonesian government will contribute to the capacity building cooperation worth US $ 2 million for the next three years. The assistance is included in the framework of the Cooperation Conference between East Asian Countries for the Development of Palestine (CEAPAD). Minister Retno Marsudi hopes that the capacity building will have a direct impact on the welfare of Palestinians, and for the independence of Palestine as an independent state. She also added that in 2019, Indonesia will train 90 officers and Palestinians in the field of women's empowerment, good governance, tropical fruit cultivation, drug and food supervision and flight training with Commercial Pilot License certificates in Indonesian pilot schools.The Chancellor's Forum and Padjajaran University will also provide scholarships for Palestinian students as part of Indonesia's efforts to prepare education for the young Palestinian generation. Since 2008, Indonesia has trained 1,887 Palestinian officers and citizens covering 171 fields of expertise, including the fields of government, law enforcement, drug and food control, and various other technical fields.Meanwhile, Palestinian Foreign Minister, Riyad al Maliki greatly appreciated Indonesia's assistance and support given to his country. This support is not only shown politically, but also reflected in various development programs, including the establishment of hospitals in Gaza and Hebron. He emphasized that all this indicates that Indonesia is truly united for Palestine.