Protests In Indonesia Over US Israel Embassy Moving To Jerusalem

On Friday, the United States embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, warned its citizens of potential violence in the city and Surabaya ahead of two rallies protesting the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The rallies were conducted by several Muslim organizations in the two cities. In Jakarta, the rally named Akshi Indonesia Bebaskan Baitul Maqdis (Indonesia for the Liberation of Jerusalem) began at 4 a.m. local time (5 p.m. EDT, Thursday) at the National Monument (Monas) Park. Islamic groups such as Islamic Defenders Front and Islamic Defenders Troop participated in the rally, which concluded around 1 p.m. local time (2 a.m. EDT) after the Friday prayer.

Thousands of people took part in the rally to protest the relocation of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Jerusalem on May 14. The Jakarta Post reported the rally included people of all age groups, with underage and school-going children also in attendance.

The Jakarta police were on alert to avert any untoward incident during the rally, with officers stationed around the park, which is located near the U.S. embassy and the presidential palace.

On Friday, the embassy in Tel Aviv has restricted its operations and also reduced the number of staff, apart from closing visa, notarial and passport services. It also warned U.S. citizens in the country to take precautions during the rallies in Indonesia.

In Surabaya, the rally began at 1 p.m. local time near the Consulate General Office.

The rallies were conducted the same day Indonesian President Joko Widodo denounced the U.S. move.

"Indonesia strongly denounces the decision to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem, as it violates various Security Council resolutions and the UN General Assembly," President Jokowi said during a meeting with trilateral Muslim scholars of Indonesia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan at the Bogor Palace in West Java, Indonesian news agency Antara reported. "With the people of Indonesia, we will continue to fight for the Palestinians, who are always there in every breath of diplomacy of Indonesia.”

He also requested other countries to not move their embassies to Jerusalem as he claimed this might disrupt peace movements.

Protests were held last week in Tehran, Iran, by students, demanding President Donald Trump to withdraw the decision. The students chanted “Death to America” and burned the American flag. The number of students who took part in the protest was not clear.

Following the footsteps of U.S., Paraguay will be moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem by the end of this month. Paraguay is the third country to move its embassy, after the U.S. and Guatemala.

According to a White House statement released May 7, President Trump will not be attending the opening ceremony of the embassy. The delegation, however, will be led by Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan and will comprise senior advisers to the president, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.

Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December.

Jerusalem has been at the heart of the decades-long conflict between Palestinians and Israel. At the end of the British rule in 1947, the United Nations voted for Palestine to be partitioned into Arab and Jewish states and Jerusalem to be defined as a separate area that would be under international supervision.

However, during the war of 1948, Jerusalem was divided into western and eastern parts under Israeli and Jordanian control respectively. In 1967, Israel conquered the eastern part and expanded its boundaries. This act was never recognized worldwide.