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Israel must be held responsible, Jokowi to tell Biden
Israel must be held responsible for the atrocities it has committed in the Gaza Strip, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo proclaimed on Monday, following a weekend of diplomacy that saw world leaders call for an immediate ceasefire.
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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (left) listens at a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Nov. 11, 2023. Jokowi met with Abbas at an extraordinary summit and will convey his message to United States President Joe Biden in a meeting in Washington, DC on Nov. 13. (Antara/Handout/Presidential Press Bureau)
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srael must be held responsible for the atrocities it has committed in the Gaza Strip, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo proclaimed on Monday, following a whirlwind of weekend diplomatic talks that saw world leaders issue the strongest statements to date calling for a ceasefire.
The speech was delivered in a prerecorded video on social media after Jokowi landed in the United States capital ahead of a meeting with President Joe Biden, at which the topic of Gaza will take center stage.
The Indonesian leader had just arrived from Riyadh, where Saudi Arabia convened an extraordinary joint summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League to shore up support to end the bloody siege in the Palestinian enclave.
Jokowi’s statement comes after more than a month of international condemnation of Israel, which has continued its assault of Gaza without consequences, due in part to the protection that has been granted by Western powers.
“During the [extraordinary joint] summit, I expressed in all honesty how the world seemed helpless as we stood by and witnessed the plight of the Palestinian people,” Jokowi said in the video statement.
“Public facilities and humanitarian activities cannot be made into targets of attacks; Israel has to be made responsible for the atrocities it has committed.”
Jokowi said he would relay the message “of 57 countries” from the extraordinary joint summit to Biden, in addition to a message from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
