REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia's second largest Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah, has urged the government to take a clear stand regarding the Israeli aggression against Al Aqsa, Islam's third most sacred mosque.
"The Foreign Affairs Ministry should issue an official statement spelling out Indonesia's stance in response to the attacks, and should call on other countries to exert pressure on Israel," Haedar Nashir, the chairman of Muhammadiyah, said here on Wednesday.
The Foreign Ministry should be responsive and alert to such international issues which could disturb stability and trigger conflict, he stated.
Moreover, since President Joko Widodo had once pledged to support Palestine, the Foreign Ministry should follow it up and live up to the president's statement, he remarked.
There is a double standard being followed when it comes to human rights. If a certain party attacks a place of worship or a civilian, it is labeled as a human rights violator.
"But, when Israel attacks Palestine, and now Masjidil Aqsa, which is one of the holiest sites, the same human rights principle is not applied," he said.
The Indonesian government should take a firm stance regarding the Palestinian issue, in accordance with the nation's principle of taking independent stance on international issues, he added.
"Many parties are inconsistent in defending Palestine against Israel because there is a tug of war that involves global interests," he said.
Since Sept. 13, Palestinians and Israeli security forces clashed at the mosque as the Zionist regime prevented Muslim worshipers from entering it, but at the same time provided heavy security to radical settlers intending to go inside the mosque.
The Israeli soldiers used tear gas and weapons to attack Palestinians defending the mosque, resulting in dozens of people being injured, including women.
In the meantime, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on the UN to act against Israel's breach of Al-Aqsa Mosque in east Jerusalem, the Turkish media quoted a presidency source as saying recently.
In a phone conversation with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Erdogan described Israel's actions as 'unacceptable' and a cause for 'serious indignation' in the Muslim world, according to the source who spoke under customary condition of anonymity.
Erdogan demanded that the international community must exert pressure on Israel to accept the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital.
According to the source, Ki-moon said the UN was concerned by the recent developments and reiterated the importance of peace negotiations in order to reduce tension.
The two leaders agreed that Israel's insistence on expanding Jewish settlements in Palestinian territory was against international law.
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