Jakarta: Thousands of Indonesians rallied in
the capital on Saturday to protest Israel's plan to expand
settlements in disputed east Jerusalem.
Demonstrators organised by an Islamic political party
waved Indonesian and Palestinian flags and carried banners
that read "Save our Palestine" on their march through downtown
Jakarta.
The crowd swelled to an estimated 5,000 people during the
three-hour protest, which was mostly peaceful, said police
officer Riza Rusmawan from the traffic management centre.
Indonesia has long supported Palestinian independence
efforts and does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.
Most of its nearly 200 million Muslims practice a moderate
form of the faith, though anti-American and anti-Israeli
rallies are common in the Indonesian capital.
Israel announced a week ago that it planned to build
1,600 new apartments in eastern Jerusalem, a disputed area
claimed by Palestinians. The announcement has been condemned
by the US, the UN, the EU and Russia -- which have been
working to broker Mideast peace talks.
Justice and Prosperity Party leader Hidayat Nur Wahid
told protesters the new Israeli housing plans showed the
brutality of Israel against Palestinians and accused Israel of
trying to destroy the Al-Aqsa mosque, Islam's third holiest
shrine, located in Jerusalem.
"We demand that the new Jewish housing plans be stopped,"
Wahid said.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 21:26