Jakarta – Thousands of people in Indonesia's West Nusa Tenggara province staged a rally on Wednesday to protest Israel's sweeping military offensive in Palestine.
The demonstrators, mostly Muslim students, marched to the local legislative assembly building, dragging and stamping on the Israeli flag, the state Antara news agency reported. They made speeches at intersections condemning the Israeli attacks on Palestine and asked for donations from motorists, cyclists and pedestrians for the Palestinians.
The anti-Israeli rally was the biggest ever of its kind in the province and caused traffic congestion.
Chairman of the provincial branch of the Justice Party, Johan Rosihan, called on Muslims across the world to help the Palestinians' struggle against Israel.
"This is a manifestation of our solidarity as Muslims, so that Allah may give strength to the Palestinians so they could free themselves from Zionist Israel's cruelty," he was quoted as saying.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have been burning Israeli flags and effigies of Israeli leader Ariel Sharon almost daily in cities across Indonesia, the world's most populous – but secular – Muslim country.
Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, a radical Muslim preacher accused by Singapore and Malaysia of having links to the al-Qaeda terror network, implored protestors in the central Javanese city of Solo on Tuesday to take up arms against Israel.
"There is no compromise of dialogue with the Israelis. They are Islam's greatest enemy ... there is only one path to deal with Israel, that is fight them with weapons and wage jihad [holy war]," Ba'asyri, who heads the Indonesian Mujahedin Council, was quoted as saying by Satunet online news.
The cleric, who runs an Islamic boarding school in Solo, also announced he had established the Free Palestinian Commando group which would soon open registrations for jihad volunteers bound for the West Bank.
Jakarta – while condemning the Israeli action – has urged would-be volunteers not to travel to the Palestinian territories to fight against Israel. Vice President Hamzah Haz, who heads Indonesia's largest and oldest Muslim party, has urged pro-Palestinian sympathisers to offer humanitarian aid and prayers instead of fighters.
On Wednesday Haz promised that the government would send medicine, medical teams and funds to help besieged Palestinians, according to Habib Hussein al Habsy, the head of the hardline Indonesian Muslim Brotherhood.