INDONESIA: Thousands of Indonesian Muslims stage rally in Jakarta against Israel's Gaza offensive

Record ID: 214193

  • Title: INDONESIA: Thousands of Indonesian Muslims stage rally in Jakarta against Israel's Gaza offensive
  • Date: 2nd July 2006
  • Summary: (BN08) JAKARTA, INDONESIA (JULY 2, 2006) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF U.S. EMBASSY BEHIND FENCE
  • Embargoed: 17th July 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Indonesia
  • Country: Indonesia
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA4TSIFFQT7KITGX0VK87E4XDAM
  • Story Text: Thousands of Indonesian Muslims chanting "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) and denouncing Israel marched through the streets of Jakarta on Sunday (July 2), demanding that Israel end its military offensive in Gaza.
    Snarling traffic, the protesters shouted slogans outside the heavily fortified U.S. embassy in Jakarta.
    Organisers put the crowd in the tens of thousands.
    The protesters were from the conservative Islamic-oriented Justice Party, with several seats in Parliament, which has often shown it can put together large, orderly demonstrations in the world's most populous Muslim country.
    "We are not terrorists but the freedom fighters for Palestinian liberation. The real terrorist is zionist Israel" and "Killer Bush" read banners, some carried by women in head scarves and long flowing dresses clutching their children.
    Many waved Palestinian and Indonesian flags. After a few hours the protesters began to disperse and there were no reports of violence.
    Many protesters expressed anger at the Israeli military strikes and also demanded Palestinian freedom.
    "We want to send a message to the world, to the United States and also to the government of Indonesia not to abandon Israel military offensive at Palestinian, not to abandon the killing of children and women done by Israel, not to abandon the abduction of legitimate government officials which voted based on democracy" said Justice and Prosperous party spokesman Suryama Sastra
    "According to United Nations' convention children and women should be protected in an emergency situation, like war" said a female protester Wirianingsih who brought along her two children.
    They also threw tissue paper against a number of poles bearing pictures of U.S. and Israeli flags. The poles were set up in a similar way to the ritual carried out by haj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia. In the ritual the poles represent the devil.
    Israel sent troops and tanks into the Gaza Strip after Palestinian gunmen snatched one of its soldiers in a cross-border raid last Sunday.
    Civilian infrastructure and facilities used by the Palestinian government have been targeted in the air strikes.
    Israel has also detained members of the Hamas-led government.
    About 85 percent of Indonesia's 210 million people are Muslims and the vast majority are considered moderate and back the government's clampdown on Islamic militants.
    But the government and most Indonesians support the Palestinian cause or are opposed to U.S. policies in the Middle East, especially the invasion of Iraq. Street protests against Israel occur periodically.
    Indonesia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.
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