TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Vice President Jusuf Kalla (JK) accepted the invitation from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to attend a peaceful rally to support Palestine at Yenikapi Square, Istanbul, Turkey, on Friday, May 17.
"Pak JK joined the action after President Erdogan invited him," said the vice president's spokesman, Husain Abdullah, on Saturday, May 18.
Husain said Erdogan introduced Jusuf Kalla to the crowd on the edge of the Bosphorus Strait. The action was also attended by the delegates of participating countries of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit and the Turkish people.
According to Husain, the presence of JK represents Indonesians' struggle for Palestine. Kalla, along with other OIC Summit delegates, urged the United Nations (UN) to take decisive steps over the relocation of the US Embassy in Jerusalem.
In addition, Husain said the OIC country members also urged UN to investigate the death of a number of Palestinians during a rally in the Gaza Strip. According to him, the OIC countries rejected the transfer of the US Embassy to Jerusalem.
VP Jusuf Kalla witnessed the peaceful rally. In the action, Husain said the crowd shouted anti-US (anti-American) and anti-Israel slogans.
FRISKI RIANA