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Indonesian eyes are on Rafah
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Protesters stage pro-Palestinian rallies on Friday, May 31, 2024, in front of the United States Embassy in Central Jakarta.
(JP/Salman Vermonte)
T
housands of Indonesians took to the streets on Friday and Saturday to protest Israel’s unabated military operations in Gaza, thronging the street in front of the United States embassy in Jakarta to demand a permanent ceasefire while condemning Washington’s complicity in the Middle Eastern humanitarian crisis.
Protesters said they would continue to monitor the situation in Gaza until the Palestinian enclave is liberated.
Draped in keffiyeh, a traditional head scarf worn in Palestine, flocks of pro-Palestine Indonesians expressed their exasperation in a two-day protest, pointing their fingers at the US embassy building yelling “murderer” and asking “how many kids did you kill today?”
With Indonesia lacking official diplomatic relations with Israel, many citizens have chosen to channel their outrage at the US, a key ally to Tel Aviv which has vetoed multiple international resolutions calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Nearly eight months since the Oct. 7 attack launched by Palestinian militant group Hamas against Israel, international outrage against Tel Aviv only continues to grow as its military operation in the besieged Gaza has caused over 35,000 deaths according to Palestinian health authorities, with reports of mostly civilian deaths circulating globally.
Israel’s latest move to bombard Gaza’s side of the Rafah crossing, a critical entry point for humanitarian aid and host to over a million Palestinians, has again inspired worldwide fury, with allegations of genocide becoming increasingly popular in public discussions about the conflict.
“I have mixed feelings, including profound sadness, but mostly outrage,” Yael Stefani, a 27-year-old protester, told The Jakarta Post. “The genocide happening in Palestine has only gotten worse, but the international reaction has not done anything significant enough to stop it.”
