Palestine’s Abbas to Send Message to Biden via Jokowi

Jayanty Nada Shofa
November 13, 2023 | 11:22 am

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President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo meets Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas on the sidelines of the Arab-Islamic joint summit in Riyadh on Nov. 11, 2023. (Photo Courtesy of Presidential Press Bureau)

Jakarta. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has just landed in Washington DC, and the Indonesian leader is planning to relay Palestine’s message to his American counterpart Joe Biden.

Jokowi over the weekend met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in person on the sides of the joint Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh. Abbas said he wanted to send a message to Biden via Jokowi, and the Indonesian leader agreed to help. Jokowi did not give details on Abbas’ message, although it is likely to be related to the US's stance amidst the worsening Gaza situation.

“I will deliver the message that President Abbas asked me to deliver to Biden,” Jokowi said in a video statement recorded in Washington DC on Sunday night local time.

The recent joint summit between the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) resulted in a 31-point resolution that calls for an arms embargo against Israel, among others. The resolution urges countries to stop exporting arms to the “occupation authorities” used by their army to kill the Palestinian people and destroy their homes and hospitals, among others. According to Jokowi, the resolution represents the voice of a third of countries across the globe.

“Israel must take responsibility for their atrocities. … The OIC has adopted a resolution that has a very strongly-worded message for the world,” Jokowi said while adding that he would bring up this document in his talks with Biden.

According to Al Jazeera, Israel imported weapons totaling $2.7 billion from only two countries, the US and Germany, between 2018-2022. Over three-quarters of Israel's military imports amounting to $2.1 billion came from the US, while Germany supplied $546 million worth of weapons. Israel has been getting mammoth-sized military financing from the US, topping $3.8 billion this year. Half a billion of that aid has been for Israel’s missile defenses.

The US not long ago made headlines for using its veto at the UN Security Council to block a resolution that would call for a humanitarian pause in Gaza. Washington voted against the ceasefire resolution at the UN General Assembly.