Jakarta. President Joko”Jokowi” Widodo recently said Indonesia would always call for a ceasefire in Gaza, a statement that reflected the Southeast Asian country’s unwavering support for Palestine.

Bringing an end to the Gaza conflict was high up in the agenda during Jokowi’s US trip, particularly when the Indonesian leader met his American counterpart Joe Biden at the White House on Monday local time. 

Jokowi had this bilateral meeting not long after he attended the joint Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh. The summit --which brought together the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)-- came up with a 31-point resolution, condemning the Israeli aggression. 

“[During my meeting with Biden], we [Indonesia] informed [the US] of the outcomes of the recent OIC summit on Gaza. We [Indonesia] spoke candidly that all of the OIC members urged for an immediate cease of aggression in Gaza. There should be an immediate ceasefire. We need to bring an end to the war as soon as possible, ” Jokowi said following the APEC CEO Summit in San Francisco on Thursday local time.

“We  [Indonesia] will continue to repeat this message [of urging a ceasefire in Gaza] everywhere we go,” Jokowi said.

Jokowi brought up the Gaza war when speaking at Georgetown University in Washington DC.

“Every 10 minutes, a child is killed in Gaza. Over 66 percent of the victims are women and children. Human life seems meaningless, but for me, every life is precious. This is a humanitarian problem. To stop this, we need global solidarity and global leadership that uphold humanity,” Jokowi said on Monday local time.

Later that week, the US President made headlines for his statement on Gaza. Biden said he had told Israel that occupying Gaza would be “a big mistake”. Washington also said that the “two-state solution” was the only solution to the war. As the name suggests, a two-state solution sees the creation of two independent states to allow both Israelis and Palestinians to live side-by-side.

“I don’t think it ultimately ends until there’s a two-state solution. I made it clear to the Israelis. I think it is a big mistake for them to think they are going to occupy Gaza and maintain Gaza,” Biden said at a press briefing on Thursday.

Wignyo Prasetyo, a loyalist to Jokowi, applauded the president’s diplomacy, saying that it reflects the 1945 Constitution. The Constitution is known for its preamble on how independence is the inalienable right of all nations.

“The diplomacy that Jokowi is pursuing is something that should go down in history,” Wignyo said on Friday.

“Once again, this is not a religious conflict. This is a matter of humanity,” he said.

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