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Indonesians in Various Cities Protest Israeli Threats to Al-Aqsa Mosque 

Arab News, Agence France Presse

JAKARTA, 18 April 2005 — 

Tens of thousands of Indonesians yesterday held a peaceful anti-Israel protest and rallied outside the US Embassy in what police said appeared to be the largest demonstration the city has seen in years.

Local radio reported that thousands of others held similar marches in several other cities and towns across the archipelago to protest Israel’s oppression of the Palestinian people and threats to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem.

The Indonesian demonstrations came one week after a leader of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas appealed to “the entire Muslim world” to protect Al-Aqsa.

He made the appeal on April 10 as up to 10,000 Palestinians, backed by senior members of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, formed a mass human shield at the Al-Aqsa Mosque against any possible threat to the site by Israeli ultra-nationalists.

The Jakarta protesters, many accompanied by children, were members and supporters of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), a fledgling but popular Muslim political party.

Similar large-scale protests, organized by the same party, were reported in several Indonesian cities and towns, including Surabaya in East Java, Makassar in South Sulawesi, Bandar Lampung in the southern part of Sumatra Island and Jepara in Central Java.

“The US, Israel are the real terrorist,” said a large banner carried by the protesters. One banner said, “Save Al-Aqsa from Jewish raids.”

Another read: “To Aceh, OK. To Nias, OK, to Palestine, OK. PKS volunteers are ready to free Al-Aqsa.” The message referred to volunteers the party has sent to disaster-ravaged areas in Indonesia over the past months. Most of the protesters were clad in white, and included veiled women.

They began gathering at about 7 a.m. and at its peak the march stretched for more than 2.5 kilometers, blocking off one side of the divided multi-laned main road through the city’s business district. Speakers lashed out at Israel and demanded that Washington stop financial or political support for the state.