By Ainur Rohmah
TUBAN, Indonesia (AA) – Indonesia’s president on Saturday condemned the violence by Israeli security forces against Palestinians at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, which yesterday killed three worshipers and wounded hundreds of others after Friday prayers.
“Indonesia strongly condemns the violence that cause three casualties,” Joko Widodo said in a speech in Yogyakarta, on the island of Java, as quoted by news website detik.com.
The leader of the world’s most populous Muslim country also criticized Israel for restricting access to worship at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
A Foreign Ministry statement said Indonesia urged Israel not to change the status quo of the Al-Aqsa complex so the holy place is accessible to all Muslims.
“The Indonesian government invites all parties to be calm, so that the situation does not deteriorate,” it added.
Indonesia also urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to immediately hold an emergency meeting to find a solution for the situation.
Following a deadly shootout last week, Israel introduced metal detectors at the mosque compound entrance, and later barred Muslim men under 50 from entering.
