International training: Deputy Foreign Minister Triono Wibowo (right) presents on Friday a gift to one of international participants (left) of an international training course organized by the ministry in Jakarta. The one-month course, with 13 international participants, was closed on Friday. Courtesy of Foreign Ministry

Palestinians would like to know more about Indonesia, which is held in high regard in the country of President Mahmoud Abbas, because of its staunch support for the Palestinian cause, say Palestinian diplomats.

Khaled H.A. Elyazji, Palestinian ambassador-at-large, said Indonesia had shared many similar views in Palestine’s decades-old struggle against Israel, but the lack of information about the archipelagic nation had left many unaware about it.

“We are very curious and would like to learn more about your country because of the special relations and your support for Palestine. News coverage of the Middle East conflicts are still dominated by Western and Arabian perspectives... not so many about how an Asian country like Indonesia thinks about it,” he said on the sidelines of a discussion at The Jakarta Post last week.

Elyazi and three other Palestinian ambassadors were undergoing a senior diplomatic training course at the Indonesian Foreign Ministry’s Center for Education and Training.

Four Palestinian envoys and nine other foreign diplomats visited the Post on Thursday to participate in a discussion on the coverage of international news by Indonesian media.

Hashem H.H. Dajani, Palestinian ambassador to Zimbabwe, said Indonesian media had been able to carry out a thorough view of the Middle East conflicts despite the fact most of them were taken from Western news agencies.

“In comparison to news coverage in African countries, Indonesia uses more stories written by Western journalists, while, for example, in Harare we use more stories by Arab [journalists],” he said.

The Indonesian government has lent support for the Palestinian cause because of its principle of anti-colonization and respect of sovereignty, in addition to the fact it is also home to the world’s largest Muslim population.

Jakarta has supported the Palestinian cause through the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM), which also boasts African member states, and also the United Nations Security Council, where Indonesia sat as non-permanent member until last year. Indonesia has also committed to developing soft skills and capacity of Palestinian envoys by inviting them to Jakarta to participate in training courses.

“Indonesia has been a partner for our country for a long time and we think not only Palestinians, but also Africans want to learn more about your country,” said Nasri K.S. Abujaish, the Palestinian ambassador to Tanzania.

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