Jakarta, MINA – Nearly 20,000 Indonesians gathered in Jakarta’s Patung Kuda area on Sunday a massive show of solidarity with Palestine, calling for an end to the ongoing genocide in Gaza and declaring: “No More Nakba!”
The peaceful demonstration, organized by the Indonesian People’s Alliance for Palestine (ARI-BP), coincided with the 77th anniversary of the Nakba, the 1948 catastrophe when over 800,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced.
Carrying blood-stained baby dolls and protest posters denouncing the United States and Israel, participants voiced outrage over the continuing Israeli military campaign in Gaza, which has claimed the lives of over 35,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
Placards read: “Condemn America: Funders of Genocide,” “Normalization with Israel is Betrayal,” “Israel is Not a Country, but a Colonial Project,” “Nakba Is Not Over,” and “Palestine Resists, the World Rises.”
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For many demonstrators, the Nakba is not just history that it’s a present-day reality. The rally drew on the symbolic power of Nakba Day to spotlight Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza.
Call for International Action
Prof. Dr. H. Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) stated that today’s genocide is a modern incarnation of the Nakba. “The world must no longer remain silent,” he declared.
ARI-BP called on the United Nations to recognize May 15 as an International Day of Humanitarian Tragedy and demanded concrete legal action against perpetrators of war crimes, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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Indonesia, as the world’s largest Muslim-majority democracy, has long supported Palestinian statehood. Demonstrators welcomed President-elect Prabowo Subianto’s statements backing Palestinian independence, but ARI-BP Chairman Prof. K.H. Din Syamsuddin stressed that words must be matched by action.
“Evacuating Gaza’s civilians is not a long-term solution. What’s needed is bold leadership to rebuild Gaza, its hospitals, its society and a clear stance alongside the oppressed,” said Din.
He also criticized the international community’s slow response to the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu. “International law only matters if moral courage stands behind it,” he added.
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Boycott Movement Gains Momentum
The rally also reinforced calls for a full boycott of Israeli-affiliated products, echoing a fatwa by Indonesia’s Ulema Council. ARI-BP urged both the public and government to implement it consistently.
“Boycott is not only a peaceful protest, it’s a moral declaration,” said Din.
He concluded his speech with a powerful Quranic verse often cited in pro-Palestine movements: Nasrun minallah wa fathun qariib“Help from Allah and victory are near.”
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“Do not grow tired. Do not stop. This struggle is not over, but know this, we are not alone. The world is moving,” Din said.
Historical Echo and Moral Duty
For many Indonesians, whose country endured three centuries of colonization, the Palestinian cause resonates deeply as a shared struggle for justice and dignity.
“Palestine was the first to recognize our independence. We owe them our solidarity,” Din emphasized.
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The Jakarta rally was one of many held nationwide, all sending a unified message: the world must not let Gaza become a silent mass grave. The time to act is now. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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