Kalla asks people not to be emotional over Jerusalem issue

Vice President Jusuf Kalla said Indonesians do not need to be emotionally responsive to US President Donald Trump`s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by boycotting US products.

"Let us not be emotional," Kalla stated in Jakarta on Tuesday in response to a question related to the US product boycott petition.

Earlier, the 1712 Defend Palestine Action at the National Monument (Monas) area, Central Jakarta, issued a 10-point petition, one of which contains a call to boycott the products of the United States.

Furthermore, Kalla explained that the US products that enter Indonesia are high technology products in the field of information and mining.

"Now, is it possible for us to not use iphone or internet, Google, and so forth .. it seems really difficult?" the vice president noted.

According to the vice president, there are only two ways to resolve the Palestinian and Israeli issues, first through a war and the second through diplomacy or negotiation.

"There were three times where a war was tried, and the result is that Palestinian territories had even become narrowed; therefore, stay negotiated," he remarked.

In the meantime, Indonesia will co-sponsor a resolution, calling for the withdrawal of Trump`s decision in the upcoming UN General Assembly`s special session in New York on Thursday (Dec 21).

Vice Foreign Minister AM Fachir revealed that the UN Special Session will be held on the issue of Palestine after the failed draft resolution in the UN Security Council session on Monday.

The Egyptian-drafted resolution has been backed by 14 UN Security Council members but vetoed by US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, who described it as "an insult" that will not be forgotten and that the US will not be told by any country where it needs to set up its embassy.

Fachir stated here on Tuesday that the US veto on the UN Security Council resolution on Jerusalem had been expected.

"Hence, we will advance (the draft resolution) in the UN General Assembly during the special session to discuss this issue, as there will be no veto (during the assembly)," he noted.

Indonesia, which will be represented by its Permanent Representative to the UN Dian Triansyah Djani, will gather support from all countries as well as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Non-Aligned Movement to advance the draft resolution.

The resolution reiterates the long-standing position of the Security Council in several resolutions dating back five decades, rejecting Israel`s sovereignty claims over Jerusalem, the holy city revered by Christians, Jews, and Muslims.

Without pinpointing to the US, the resolution also reiterates the Council`s view that no country should establish an embassy in Jerusalem, and that the city`s status is an issue to be resolved by Israel and Palestine.

In line with the resolution, Indonesia confirms its stance to not move its honorary consul from Ramallah to Jerusalem.

"Ramallah is currently the capital of Palestine. Hence, as long as the center of the government is there, we will also be there," Fachir remarked.

Since Trump announced his plan to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East peace process Nickolay E. Mladenov reported that violence in the region had escalated.

Reports have been received of at least 27 rocket attacks from Gaza and clashes between the Israeli security forces and Palestinian demonstrators, along with calls by some for a new Palestinian uprising

Source: ANTARA