Regarding Holocaust Museum, Indonesia Remains Focus on Supporting Palestine

Jakarta, MINA – The Spokesman of Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Teuku Faizasyah, reiterated that Indonesia remains focused on supporting the struggle of the Palestinian people, even though there have been several issues with establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.

“Indonesia’s focus remains on supporting the Palestinian struggle for justice and independence,” said Faizasyah via text message to MINA on Saturday.

The statement from the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is related to the photo exhibition of the history of the Holocaust and the opening of the Holocaust Museum in Tondano, Minahasa Regency, North Sulawesi on Thursday.

Some parties objected to the establishment of the Museum, because it was allegedly an attempt to open diplomatic relations with Israel and could spark anger of Indonesian people who consistently supporting Palestine.

The chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) for Foreign Cooperation and International Relations, Prof. DR Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim told MINA, saying: “I think it is also necessary to watch out for the movements of the Jewish community in Indonesia, including in Minahasa, so as not to offend the feelings of Muslims or the Indonesian people in general. They must fully understand our nation’s philosophy, including the preamble to the 1945 Constitution.”

He straightened out that refusing the presence of the Holocaust Museum does not mean being hostile to the Jewish people, but an attitude against Zionism which is synonymous with colonialism and racism.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Presidium Aqsa Working Group (AWG) M Anshorullah said that the initiative to build the Museum was not in line with the Preamble to the First Paragraph of the 1945 Constitution and also insensitive to the prolonged suffering of the Palestinian people while at the same time hurting the humanitarian struggle to abolish apartheid and colonialism.

“The Aqsa Working Group urges the government to immediately revoke the permit and close the Holocaust Museum in Minahasa. The closing of the museum which was built by the Zionist Israel is in accordance with President Soekarno’s call that “As long as the independence of the Palestinian people has not been handed over, so long as the Indonesian people stand against Israel. Meanwhile, President Joko Widodo has also firmly called for a boycott of Israeli products which was conveyed at the 2016 OIC Summit in Jakarta,” said M Anshorullah. (T/RE)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)