NU strongly condemns violence in Gaza

Jakarta, NU Online
Chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Slamet Effendy Yusuf, strongly condemned the inhuman attack by Israelis in the Gaza Strip, Palestine.<>

"Indonesian people and Muslims in particular, express their sorrow at the tremendous suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza that have been bombarded by the savage attacks of the Israelis," Slamet Effendy Yusuf said here on Saturday.

The attacks could not be justified for any reason, Slamet pointed out.

The international community must ask Israel to stop the attacks before there are any more victims, he added as quoted by Antara news agency.

"The United Nations Security Council should convene immediately to discuss the Israeli attacks in Gaza before it grows into a head to head battle between Hamas fighters and Israeli soldiers," he asserted.

Slamet said that the international community must urge the United States to stop the aggression by the Israelis, which has broken the principles of humanity.

Moreover, the Arab League should be expected to act in the matter. However, with the condition and situation in these countries, nothing much can be expected.

"The State Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OKI) still has the power to get involved in diplomatic efforts to stop the brutality by Israel," he affirmed.

Israeli air strikes, on Friday, killed six Palestinians, including five in one attack on the home of an Islamic Jihad member, an emergency services spokesperson said.

Five Palestinians, including a woman died and 15 others were wounded, when the house in Rafah, southern Gaza, was hit, Gazas emergency services spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra said.

An air strike around an hour before killed Anas Abu al-Kass, 33, of Gaza Citys Tel el-Hawa neighbourhood.

According to al-Qudra, around 95 Gazans have been killed since Israel launched "Operation Protective Edge" early on Tuesday to halt cross-border rocket fire by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

Earlier, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had condemned the Israeli attack in Gaza, making it one of the issues on the agenda that was discussed in the cabinet meeting at the Presidential Office in Jakarta, Friday.

The President continued efforts to end the violence through diplomatic means at the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

Editing by Sudarto Murtaufiq