Indonesian leader urges Muslim world to unite on Palestine

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, greets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the start of their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the extraordinary Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit on Palestinian issues in Jakarta, Indonesia o
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, greets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the start of their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the extraordinary Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit on Palestinian issues in Jakarta, Indonesia o
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AP, Jakarta :Indonesia’s president on Monday urged a summit of Muslim nations to be part of the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict rather than part of the problem.President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who heads the most populous Muslim nation, said the entire world is concerned by the deterioration of the situation in Palestine and criticized what he called Israel’s “unilateral and illegal policies.”Officials from 57 countries are meeting in the Indonesian capital Jakarta for a special summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation that is focused on Palestine and Jerusalem. The Middle East quartet and permanent members of the U.N. Security Council are also represented.”The OIC should be part of the solution, and not part of the problem,” Jokowi said in opening remarks to the summit. “If the OIC cannot be part of the solution to Palestine, then the OIC becomes irrelevant.”Israel says a recent surge in violence is a result of a Palestinian campaign of lies and incitement. Palestinians say it stems from frustration at nearly five decades of Israeli military rule.Among the leaders at the Jakarta meeting is Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crimes allegations linked to the conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region.Another report adds: Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir arrived in Indonesia on Sunday, defying an international warrant for his arrest, to attend an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation summit, the Sudanese state news agency said.The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Bashir in 2009 and 2010, accusing him of masterminding genocide and other atrocities in his campaign to crush a revolt in the western Darfur region.Members of the ICC are obliged to act on arrest warrants. Indonesia is not a member.Last year, Bashir canceled a trip to Indonesia for a summit at the last minute. His plan to attend an Asia-African leaders conference in Jakarta in April sparked protests among rights groups who wanted the president to be arrested.

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