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Indonesian President Joko Widodo urges Biden to help end Gaza \u2018atrocities\u2019 | Politics News<\/p>\n
Widodo calls for a ceasefire \u2018for the sake of humanity\u2019 as he sits down with US president at the White House.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Indonesian President Joko Widodo has pressed his United States counterpart Joe Biden to do more to end \u201catrocities\u201d in Gaza and help bring about a ceasefire.<\/p>\n The two leaders\u2019 talks on Monday were overshadowed by the month-long Israel-Hamas war in which the US has given Israel its full support.<\/p>\n Widodo, who is popularly known as Jokowi, attended a joint summit of Arab and Muslim leaders in Riyadh at the weekend which condemned Israel and called for a ceasefire.<\/p>\n Indonesia is the world\u2019s most populous Muslim country and has seen large protests in support of the Palestinians as well as a boycott of businesses seen as linked to Israel.<\/p>\n \u201cIndonesia appeals to the US to do more to stop the atrocities in Gaza,\u201d Widodo said in the Oval Office as the two presidents met in the White House in front of a roaring fire.<\/p>\n \u201cA ceasefire is a must for the sake of humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n Violence erupted on October 7 after the armed group Hamas, which controls Gaza, launched a surprise assault on Israel killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 200 captive. In response Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza and has been bombarding the Gaza Strip ever since, killing at least 11,000 Palestinians.<\/p>\n US officials have said Biden is keen for Indonesia to \u201cplay a larger role\u201d in the Middle East, which could include the \u201cceasefire issue\u201d but also long-term goals such as a two-state solution after the war and rebuilding Gaza.<\/p>\n While Washington has thrown its full support behind Israel, it has more recently begun calling for more restraint and \u201cpauses\u201d in the fighting that would allow the delivery of humanitarian aid or the release of the captives held by Hamas.<\/p>\n The Jokowi-Biden meeting comes ahead of talks between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as a key summit of leaders from APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation), which is taking place in San Francisco. China and Indonesia are both members of APEC.<\/p>\n The US aims to upgrade cooperation with Indonesia to a so-called comprehensive strategic partnership, the highest diplomatic level, as it deepens alliances in the Asia Pacific region. Biden unveiled a similar upgrade to ties with Vietnam on a visit to Hanoi in September.<\/p>\n \u201cThis will mark a new era of relations between the United States and Indonesia across the board, affecting everything,\u201d Biden said as he sat next to Jokowi.<\/p>\n The deepening crisis in Myanmar was also up for discussion. The country was plunged into turmoil in February 2021, when the military seized power from the government of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Fighting between the military and armed groups fighting against the coup has intensified in the past couple of weeks.<\/p>\n The US and other mainly Western countries have imposed sanctions but the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), while banning Myanmar\u2019s top generals from its summits, has had little success in holding the military to account. Indonesia is the outgoing chair of the 10-member grouping that welcomed Myanmar as a member some 25 years ago with Laos next to take the helm.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be time soon for us to think about what our next steps are together to deal with a situation that is untenable,\u201d the officials told Reuters.<\/p>\n Biden and Jokowi\u2019s talks also covered new cooperation in areas of defence such as cybersecurity, and space as well as climate with the US due to announce steps with the Southeast Asian country on carbon capture and storage, supporting the electricity grid and improving air quality.<\/p>\n Amid rising geopolitical tension, Jokowi was keen to stress Indonesia\u2019s long-held neutrality.<\/p>\n \u201cIndonesia is always open to cooperate with any country, and not to take the side of any power, except to take the side of peace and humanity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u0627\u0644\u0645\u0635\u062f\u0631<\/a>\u2018New era of relations\u2019<\/h2>\n
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