Indonesian VP calls for immediate end to Palestinian and Israeli war

Jayapura, The Gulf Observer: Indonesia’s Vice President Ma’ruf Amin called for an immediate end to the Palestinian and Israeli war and resumption of peace talks to solve the decades of conflict through a two-state solution mechanism.

“We are striving to push an immediate end to the war and urge related parties to resume peace talks based on the two-state solution,” he noted on the sidelines of his visit to the Papua governor office on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference, Amin highlighted the government’s efforts to evacuate 230 Indonesian citizens doing religious tours in Israel when Hamas that runs the Gaza Strip launched a surprise attack on October 7.

In this regard, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry has been preparing measures necessary to evacuate Indonesians from the war-affected region, he remarked.

The new armed conflict erupted again following the Hamas surprise attack on Israel on Saturday morning. Prior to the Palestinian liberation fighters’ assaults, Israel continued its closure of Gaza crossings.

The WAFA news agency reported on September 25 that the Israeli closure of the Gaza crossings had worsened the living conditions of Palestinians in Gaza.

According to WAFA News Agency, Palestinians had already suffered from the severe impacts of “more than 17 years of tight Israeli land, sea, and air blockades.”

Al Jazeera quoted Hamas, which runs Gaza, as saying its assault on Israel was “a response to the desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and increased settler violence.”

In response to the unprecedented surprise attack, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had declared war on Hamas and, according to Al Jazeera, pledged that the Israeli forces would “turn all Hamas hideouts into rubble.”

On Tuesday, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry stated that Jakarta is pushing efforts to stop the escalation of armed violence to avoid more civilian casualties.

“Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi continues to communicate with a number of countries and international organizations to stop the violence,” the ministry’s spokesperson, Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, remarked.

Minister Marsudi held discussions regarding the Palestinian issue with Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira during a bilateral meeting in Jakarta on Monday.

Brazil currently holds the presidency of the United Nations Security Council.