TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Chairman of the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission VIII Yandri Susanto has pressed for the issuance of a governmental policy to boycott Israel's products in protest of its attacks on Gaza.

"We urge the government to boycott Israeli products. Their products are not allowed to enter Indonesia any longer," Susanto remarked during a press statement released on Sunday.

The DPR Commission VIII chairman also laid emphasis that it was not necessary for the government to establish diplomatic ties and hold regional talks with Israel.

Israel should be viewed as a common enemy of all countries since its actions in Palestine fail to mirror humanitarian values, he affirmed.

"There is no compromise with Israel until whenever. We urge the Government of the Republic of Indonesia to not establish diplomatic ties with Israel," he reiterated.

President Joko Widodo has earlier called for an immediate halt to Israel's aggression on Palestine on the grounds it has claimed hundreds of lives including of women and children.

Earlier, dozens of Indonesians had congregated in front of the US embassy here last Tuesday, calling for a boycott of US and Israeli products to demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinian people’s struggle in Gaza and the West Bank.

Those gathered before the US embassy called for the boycott to be launched since the US had been supporting the Israeli military’s attacks against the Palestinian people over the last two weeks.

“Actually, Israel has no power whatsoever. They, however, feel strong and great because the Zionists are supported by the United States. US political power, like it or not, is supported by its economic strength. Hence, if we want to fight Zionist Israel and the US, there is no other way but to boycott their economic strength,” Amin Ngabalin, deputy chairperson of the Indonesian Youth National Committee (KNPI), stated after delivering a speech in front of the embassy here on Tuesday.

The total trade between Indonesia and the United States in 2020 was valued at US$27.2 billion, with Indonesia recording a surplus of US$10.04 billion, Ngabalin remarked.

Despite the non-existence of diplomatic ties, Indonesia and Israel have engaged in trade relations, he stated.

The Central Statistics Agency’s data indicated that in the first quarter of 2021, Indonesia had imported 144 tons of goods, worth US$1,785,870, from Israel.

Goods imported by Indonesia from Israel included spare parts or components of weapons; engine components; electronic devices; plantation products, such as coffee and dates; electrical equipment; battery components; and machinery for cigarette production.

Meanwhile, during the same period, Indonesia exported over 11 thousand tons of goods, valued at US$30,986,779, to Israel.

Palestinian civil society networks have been campaigning for boycotts, divestments, and sanctions (BDS) targeting Israel in the international community since 2005, Ngabalin stated.

They are believed to be one way of applying pressure on Israel for colonizing Palestine and launching military attacks in the Gaza Strip, he stated.

At least 212 Palestinians, including 61 children and 36 women, were killed in the latest round of violence in Gaza.

Also Read: Dozens Dead as Israel Escalates Aerial Bombardments on Palestinians in Gaza

ANTARA