Jakarta – Greenpeace Indonesia held a demonstration in front of the US Embassy building in Jakarta on Thursday June 19 rejecting the genocide against the people of Gaza in Palestine.
The head of Greenpeace Indonesia, Leonard Simanjuntak, said the peaceful action was carried out as a form of solidarity with the people of Gaza who are victims of the worst humanitarian crisis this century.
He said that they deliberately chose to hold the action in front of the US Embassy because it is Israel's main ally. He said that it is thanks to the political, military and diplomatic support from America that Israel is able to continue to carry out attacks on Palestine.
"This call is part of a global sound wave that is demanding peace and protection of human rights for civilians in Gaza", he told reporters at the location.
He explained that through the action titled "Stop Genocide, Peace Now", Greenpeace is calling for an end to the war and violence against civilians. In addition to this, they are also encouraging the opening of full access for humanitarian assistance that has up until now been restricted.
Simanjuntak said that the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to deteriorate in the midst of various global dynamics. He said that civilians, including women and children, continued to be victims in a worsening state of emergency.
"This is a call from Jakarta to the world, stop the war now, and realise peace in Gaza. There is no moral or political reason that can justify our silence over the suffering of civilians in Gaza", he said.
"With this action, Greenpeace Indonesia calls directly on the US government to use its influence to stop the cruelty of the Israeli genocide, as well as opening the way for peace", he added.
Furthermore, Leonard explained that based on Palestinian Ministry of Health data for June 9, more than 55,000 people have been killed and nearly 130,000 people injured due to the Israeli invasion of Gaza since October 2023.
In addition to this, he said the UN has also reported that around 90 percent of Gaza residents had been displaced and more than 500,000 people face acute hunger, and there is the threat of mass hunger as a result of Israeli's terrorist acts.
"We also urge the Indonesian government to be more proactive as observers at the G7 and as G20 members to speak out strongly so this genocide is stopped", he concluded. (tfq/dal)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Greenpeace Geruduk Kedubes AS di Jakarta soal Genosida Israel".]
