TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Joko Widodo or Jokowi urges the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) country members to stand up together to defend Palestine. The President will officially announce his request during the OIC extraordinary summit that will be held in Istanbul.

“We ask for OIC countries to together round up our voices and unite in defending Palestine,” said Jokowi before departed for Istanbul at TNI’s Air Force base today, December 12.

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President Jokowi’s support for Palestine is a direct response to US President Donald Trump’s acknowledgment of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

During the OIC extraordinary summit on Wednesday, December 13, Jokowi will also officially announce that Indonesia rejects the United States’ unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. He will also suggest several actions that can be done by OIC members to defend Palestine, either collectively or individually.

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Furthermore, President Jokowi said that the OIC summit will be the first time OIC countries can together assertively reject Trump’s decision. He hopes that his visit to Turkey can practically be a real peaceful attempt to arbitrate the Palestine-Israel conflict.

As previously reported, US President Donald Trump officially announced that the US government acknowledges Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. His controversial announcement sparked protests and criticism from other countries since the US is deemed of violating the international agreement which could jeopardize the Palestine-Israel peace process.

Amirullah