Jokowi Arrives in Washington, Will Discuss Palestine with Joe Biden

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo or Jokowi has arrived at Joint Base Andrews in Washington DC, United States of America on Sunday, November 12, 2023, at around 04:20 p.m. local time. Jokowi is scheduled to meet with US President Joe Biden on Monday to discuss bilateral agreements and the issue of Palestine.

According to the statement of the Presidential Palace Press Bureau, Jokowi arrived in Washington after a 15-hour long trip from Riyadh, after attending the OIC Summit in the country.

Jokowi was welcomed by US' Acting Chief of Protocol Ethan Rosenzweig, US Ambassador for Indonesia Sung Kim, Indonesian Ambassador for the US Perkasa Roeslani, and Defense Attache of the Indonesian Embassy Air Commander Tjahya Elang Migdiawan.

The bilateral meeting between Biden and Jokowi will occur two days after the OIC Summit, and Jokowi is ensured to present the results of the summit at the White House. 

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi stated that Jokowi will relay the messages from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Washington. "In his national remark [in OIC Summit], Mr. President [Jokowi] stated that OIC must unite and be in the frontline to resolve the situation in Gaza," Minister Retno stated in her press conference in Riyadh on Saturday.

Ministry Spokesperson Lalu Muhammad Iqbal explained that economic cooperation will also become the focus during the bilateral meeting with Biden, although he did not explain further which agreements Indonesia is striving to explore.

OIC Summit resulted in a strong and sturdy resolution encompassing 31 decisions. These decisions include condemning Israel's aggression in Gaza, urging the UN Security Council to promptly adopt a resolution to immediately end the violence, allow aid to enter Gaza, and affirming the importance of honoring international law.

Specifically in paragraph 11, the resolution mandated the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Turkiye, Indonesia, and Nigeria to initiate immediate international action on behalf of all member states of OIC and the Arab League to formulate an international move to halt the war in Gaza and pressure for a real political process to achieve permanent peace.

As of Thursday, November 9, Israel's aggression on Gaza has killed at least 10,812 people, 40 percent of whom are children, according to Palestinian authorities. Basic necessities across the besieged enclave are dwindling, while residential buildings have been bombed to smithereens.

Israel so far has refused any calls for a ceasefire and only agreed to pause the bombing campaign for a brief and limited window of time to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. 

On November 10, Israel's ministry spokesperson revised their death toll caused by Hamas' attack on October 7 to 1,200 people.

Washington is one of Israel's persistent allies. The White House also thwarted any attempt to call for a ceasefire and blamed Hamas as the main cause of the conflict escalation this past month.

DANIEL A. FAJRI

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