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RI's stance, aid win praise from Palestinians
Lilian Budianto, , The Jakarta Post, , Jakarta | Mon, 01/05/2009 11:05 AM | Headlines
Indonesia's diplomacy and humanitarian aid are helping Palestinians in their struggle for a separate state and to halt the ongoing Israeli military offensive against Hamas, the Palestinian ambassador to Indonesia has said.
Ambassador Fariz N. Mehdawi hailed Indonesia for condemning the Israeli attacks at an emergency meeting at the UN Security Council (UNSC), of which Indonesia was a non-permanent member until recently.
"Indonesia has played three major parts in its support (for the Palestinian cause). The first is in the realm of politics and diplomacy, the second through the humanitarian mission and the last is the moral support and empathy for the Palestinians," he told The Jakarta Post in a telephone interview Sunday.
Mehdawi said the diplomatic support of Indonesia, which has been working closely with representatives of Arabic countries in New York, would help ensure a UNSC-backed resolution to the Gaza crisis by Monday.
Non-permanent UNSC member Libya proposed a draft resolution condemning the Israeli attacks and demanding an end to the Israeli aggression.
It demanded that Gaza's streets be opened to allow in humanitarian assistance after the U.S. blocked the passage of the resolution Saturday night (Sunday morning in Jakarta).
Indonesia's humanitarian aid mission was still in Jordan Sunday and was scheduled to leave for Egypt on Monday, from where the 15-person group consisting of government officials, medical doctors and relief workers hopes it can aid Palestinian victims.
The mission also brought medical supplies worth Rp 260 million (US$23,600) weighing two tons and Rp 2 billion in financial aid.
The supplies were symbolically handed over to the Palestinian Health Minister in Amman on Saturday and will be channeled to the Gaza Strip through a charity organization under the King of Jordan, according to the Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah.
"The relief supplies will be sent to Gaza tomorrow morning (local time) in a journey along 120 kilometers that will take about 7 hours. The delivery will be handled by Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization and its partners," said Faizasyah quoting Ari S. Wardhana, charge d'affaires of the Indonesian Embassy in Jordan.
Mehdawi said the 1.5 million people living in the Gaza Strip had been cut off and were in desperate need of food, medicine, blankets and tents amid the continuing attacks by the Israeli army that had killed more than 500 and wounded 2,000.
"We hope the relief and the cash (given by the Indonesian government) will enter Gaza by Monday. The Jordanian government and also the Egyptian government are working on this and the slight delay is mainly because of the (weekend) holidays, which have slowed transfers," he said.
The Indonesian government issued a statement Sunday calling on "Israel to immediately end its arbitrary use of force which contravenes international law, including the Geneva Convention".
Indonesia, a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, underscored the need to restore calm and urgently called on Israel and Palestine to resume dialogue and urged the UNSC to set up immediately a formal meeting to restore peace and security in Palestine.
The statement, issued by the Foreign Ministry, also called for the permanent opening of Gaza's borders to ensure passage of humanitarian and economic aid.
Deputy Foreign Minister Triyono Wibowo, who was in Jeddah to attend the extraordinary meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, announced that the Indonesian government was committed to contributing $1 million in aid for the Palestinian people.
The Israeli offensive has triggered a wave of protests and a number of fund raising events in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country.
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Nathan (not verified) — Thu, 01/08/2009 - 4:25pm
I am concerned with the decision of President Yudhoyono of Indonesia to pledge a total of $1 million in cash aid and another $2 million in medical supplies to the people of Palestine.
This would be fine if Indonesia was not an aid recipient itself with Australia providing a huge amount of aid to the country.
From memory, Australia recently provided Indonesia with 5 million $ to assist with upcoming elections, 67 million $ for a Disaster Reduction facility, 3 million $ to improve governance in the region, 25 million $ for the transport safety assistance package, 100 million $ to combat aids, 2.5 billion $ to tackle poverty in Indonesia over the next 5 years and funding for the building of 2000 schools and many other projects too. In addition, Australia has agreed to a 1 billion dollar loan to assist Indonesia through the credit crunch.
Are Australian taxpayers going to continue providing funds to Indonesia when they are directed to Palestine or used on ultra expensive cars? These funds were meant to improve the life of the people of Indonesia not be redirected out of the country. Australia and many other nations have already provided aid to Palestine.
Agus Satoto (not verified) — Mon, 01/05/2009 - 11:13pm
Thank you all for being so promptly helpful and gorgeous. May God Almighty bless you with high rewards for your donation to the Palestinians. I am, however, surprised at how fast your Moslem solidarity emerges and at how gorgeous you can be in this Israeli-Hamas issue. Here, at the front-door of our own homes, lie people who cannot afford decent meals and medical treatment. These people are our neighbors, sisters, brothers, and friends who become neglected, ill-treated, malnourished, and fired. Why bother going to Gaza while your own brothers and sisters also need your assistance? Why bother shouting and condemning the Israelis while your own nation is also badly condemned with corruption, disasters, flood. I am not saying that what you did to the Palestinians was wrong. I did donate some bucks, but i'd prefer giving the rest of the bucks to my own nation.