Israel-Palestine Heats Up, KH Said Aqil Asks Indonesia to Play an Active Role

Chairman of the Islamic Organization Friendship Institute, KH Said Aqil Siroj, asked the Indonesian government to play an active role in reducing the increasingly heated conflict between Israel and Palestine. The conflict claimed lives.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. The original article can be found in Israel-Palestina Memanas, KH Said Aqil Minta Indonesia Berperan Aktif

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

Minister of Coordination for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Mahfud MD (center) along with the Chairman of the Friendship Institution of Islamic Organizations (LPOI), KH Said Aqil Siroj (second from the right) attended the wedding of KH Musthofa Aqil Siroj's child in Cirebon Regency, West Java, on Sunday (8/10/2023).

CIREBON, KOMPAS - The Chairman of the Islamic Organization Friendship Institution (LPOI), KH Said Aqil Siroj, has urged the Indonesian Government to play an active role in calming down the escalating conflict between Israel and Palestine. The conflict, which involves rocket attacks, has claimed hundreds of lives.

Said Aqil said that the conflict between Israel and Palestine continues to recur because of the issue of the boundaries of Israel's sovereignty. "It's always been like that (conflict). The only country that has no territorial borders is Israel. "The boundaries are not clear and we continue to expand our territory," he told Kompas, in Cirebon, West Java, Sunday (8/10/2023).

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According to the former Chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) Central Board, efforts to achieve peace between Israel and several Arab countries have occurred several times. For example, former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat visited Israel in 1977. Yasser Arafat, the former Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), also fought at the international negotiating table. However, those efforts have always failed. The conflict between Israel and Palestine continues to occur.

The conflict has further intensified as Hamas in Palestine attacked Israel with at least 5,000 rockets in just 20 minutes since Saturday (7/10/2023) morning. Israel declared war against Hamas and will retaliate with all its might.

AP PHOTO/YOUSEF MASOUD

People are standing outside of a mosque that has been destroyed due to Israeli air strikes in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, on Sunday (8/10/2023).

More than 250 Israeli civilians were reportedly killed, dozens taken hostage, and 1,000 injured in thousands of Hamas rocket attacks on Israel's southern region. Meanwhile, 230 people were reported killed in Gaza after Israel launched a retaliatory attack. The Israeli government also cut off electricity in the area (Kompas.id, 8/10/2023).

Regarding the ongoing conflict that continues to result in casualties, Said Aqil urges the Indonesian government to help reduce the heat of the feud between the two sides. "Indonesia must play an active role. I express my respect to the Foreign Minister, Bu Retno Marsudi, for her firm stance and Indonesia has already done so," he said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through its official account on social media platform X, expressed great concern for the escalating conflict between Palestine and Israel. The conflict stems from the Israeli occupation of Palestine. "Indonesia urges an immediate halt to violence to avoid further human casualties," the account wrote.

Until now, the government has not received reports of Indonesian citizens (WNI) who were victims of the conflict. The Indonesian government, through the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Cairo and the Indonesian Embassy in Lebanon, continues to monitor the latest situation of Indonesian citizens and coordinates with Indonesian citizens' nodes in Gaza. The number of Indonesian citizens in the area is 13 people. The Indonesian Embassy in Amman's hotline is [phone].

Previously, several countries also urged Israel and Palestine to exercise restraint. For instance, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Israel and Palestine to hold back from any hostile actions that could worsen the situation.

"Of course we always call on them to exercise restraint," said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov (Kompas, 8/10/2023).

Also read: Netanyahu stops electricity, fuel and food to Gaza, Abbas defends residents