Tens of thousands of people have held demonstrations in several Muslim countries across the world in solidarity with Palestine and against Israel’s murderous military offensive against the defenseless civilian population in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Thousands of protesters gathered in central Jakarta to condemn the Israeli regime’s atrocities against the people of Palestine as the Zionist regime is relentlessly bombing the Gaza Strip.
Waving Palestinian flags, carrying posters and chanting slogans, Indonesians dressed in white and wore traditional Palestinian scarves crowded the National Monument square on Sunday morning,
The rally, the biggest pro-Palestine demonstration the country has seen so far, was organized by the Indonesian Ulema Council with the support of other main religious organizations.
It was attended by government officials and prominent public figures, including Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.
“Every 10 minutes, a child is killed in Gaza. Thousands of parents have lost their children, while thousands of children have lost their parents,” Marsudi said as she addressed the crowd.
“My Indonesia and I will never back down from helping. My Indonesia and I will always be with you until the colonizers leave your home. Palestine, you are my brother. And I, and my Indonesia, will always be with you,” the top Indonesian diplomat said.
The Southeast Asian nation has no diplomatic relations with Israel, and the Indonesian government has repeatedly called for an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories.
Indonesia has been a staunch supporter of Palestine for decades, with its people and authorities seeing Palestinian statehood as mandated by their own constitution, which calls for the abolition of colonialism.
“On behalf of the Indonesian government, we want to reaffirm Indonesia’s support for the struggle of the Palestinian nation. Ladies and gentlemen, we gather here today in diversity to show our solidarity for humanity,” Marsudi said.
Some Indonesians who attended the rally said it was important for them to show up for Palestine.
Berlian Idriansyah Idris, a 46-year-old cardiologist, said the images of wounded Palestinian children and the devastation caused by Israel’s bombing in Gaza have brought him to tears.
“We are still humans with conscience. We condemn Israel’s atrocities, we support Palestine, and we demand immediate ceasefire,” said Idris, who was at the rally with his family on Sunday.
For 22-year-old Syifa, taking part in the demonstration was about standing up for humanity.
“I wanted to take part in this march so that I can show to the public that here in Indonesia we have a huge number of people who care about Palestine,” Syifa said
“I think it’s important, while you are able, to give out your voice for humanity. Especially because this Palestine issue is clearly not a conflict, it’s genocide.”
The violence in Gaza has been prolonged and indiscriminate — it’s not a war but a massacre,” 27-year-old Indonesian protester Dwi Nurfitriani said.
The rally comes as tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in cities across the world for a weekend of demonstrations demanding an immediate ceasefire in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Turkish protesters attack US air base
In Turkey, a convoy of Palestine supporters headed to a US military base in the south of the country for a protest to coincide with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken‘s arrival to the country on Sunday.
Turkish police on Sunday fired tear gas to disperse a pro-Palestinian rally outside a military base housing US troops and weapons.
The protest outside the Incirlik Air Base in southeastern Turkey was organized by the IHH humanitarian relief fund, which in 2010 led a flotilla to Gaza that sparked Israeli raids in which 10 civilians died.
Images on social media showed several hundred people waving Palestinian flags and running across a field chased by the police, who also used water cannons at Incirlik.
The Mediterranean coastal base is owned by Turkey but used by the US Air Force and occasionally by Britain’s Royal Air Force, providing them with strategic access to large parts of the Middle East.
Thousands of Pakistanis take part in Islamabad’s pro-Palestine rally
Thousands of people marched into Pakistan’s capital Islamabad in solidarity with the people of Palestine over the weekend.
The demonstrators demanded that leaders of the Islamic countries do more by action rather than just words to help Palestinians in Gaza.
Security forces were also out in large numbers. The Red Zone in Islamabad, which houses the parliament, the US embassy and other sensitive buildings, had been cordoned off.
Malaysians boycott companies with ties to Israel
Malaysians have boycotted companies and goods with ties to the Israeli regime in a show of support for Palestinians.
Lists of firms with alleged ties to Tel Aviv are circulating on social media in Malaysia.
Among them are American food franchises, as Washington continues its unconditional support for Tel Aviv.
In the United States, too, businesses with alleged ties to Israel are being boycotted.
Philadelphia in the state of Pennsylvania is just one of the cities where dozens of businesses have been the target of pro-Palestinian boycotts.
This comes as activists have taken to social media to join the worldwide anti-Israeli boycott campaign and expose how some multinational companies help sustain the Israeli occupation of Palestine and acts of aggression against Palestinians.
The death toll continues to mount in the Gaza Strip, which has been reeling from a month of relentless Israeli attacks and a tightened siege.
Nearly 9,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children have been killed in 30 days of Israeli attacks on Gaza.
