Indonesia affirms its disapproval of Trump's Jerusalem decision
Indonesian Foreign Minister on three-nation tour to garner political support for Palestine
Indonesia will continue to support Palestine in its struggle for independence, in spite of US President Donald Trump's recent decision on Jerusalem, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said yesterday.
"The unilateral US statement on the status of Jerusalem will not alter Indonesia's strong diplomatic commitment to fight for Palestinian independence," she said in a statement after meeting Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi in Amman.
Indonesia's top diplomat is in the Jordanian capital as part of a three-nation tour that includes stops in Turkey and Belgium in a bid to garner political support for Palestine.
Her trip comes days after a controversial announcement by Mr Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the historic city regarded as holy by Jews, Christians and Muslims.
Mr Trump's announcement last Wednesday, a reversal of decades of US policy, has been met with angry protests around the world including in Malaysia and Indonesia.
World leaders have criticised the move as against international law, warning that it could set back the peace process and embolden extremists.
We all have a moral responsibility to stop the injustices facing the Palestinian people.Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi
Indonesian President Joko Widodo condemned Mr Trump's decision and urged the US to reconsider it.
Yesterday, some 1,000 protesters held a rally in front of the US Embassy in Jakarta and burnt US and Israeli flags as well as images of Mr Trump.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country currently chairs the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has convened an emergency leaders' summit in Istanbul tomorrow, which Mr Joko and Ms Retno will attend.
She will then go on to Brussels for talks with European Union representatives on the issue.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak will attend the summit of the OIC, a grouping of 57 Muslim-majority countries, which seeks to secure a concerted response to the US decision.
In her meeting with Mr Ayman, Ms Retno said: "We all have a moral responsibility to stop the injustices facing the Palestinian people."
University of Indonesia international law expert Hikmahanto Juwana said Mr Joko's decision to attend the OIC meeting shows Indonesia is serious in its support for Palestine.
He said what the Indonesian government is doing "fits its people's aspirations", which is to see an independent Palestine.
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