Trumpeting Jerusalem

Posted by AsiaViews | Dec 10, 2017 | 0 |

The Jakarta Post

8 Dec 2017

Many world leaders, including President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, have angrily condemned United States President Donald Trump for officially recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. For the American president, his decision is a matter of legal technicality, political practicality and an opportunity to show off his leadership muscle.

Protests and condemnation have spread globally, with critics crying foul over the policy that defies international conventions. But the unpredictable American leader does not care about repercussions resulting from his act, like the rise of anti-American sentiment across the world and more acts of terrorism. Trump might still believe in the US might and know well that the enemies of Israel are preoccupied with infighting and quarrels.

Trump insisted he simply implemented the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, which requires the relocation of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv no later than May 1999. Since its establishment in 1948, Israel has declared the holy city for three religions its capital, although the United Nations has never recognized it.

For Trump, his recognition of Jerusalem is merely part of the realization of his campaign promises, which also include scrapping the Paris Climate Accord, banning the entry of citizens of certain countries, reducing taxes for the super-rich, expelling undocumented migrants and erecting high walls along the Mexican border.

Although Trump said his decision “marks the beginning of a new approach” to the endless conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, we believe his much-anticipated announcement on Wednesday has only kick-started a catastrophe.

Palestine is determined that Jerusalem should become its capital when one day it can achieve its long-standing goal of becoming a fully independent state. Palestinians put little hope in Washington playing the role of an honest peace broker, and Trump’s decision has by all means killed any such expectation.

The status of Jerusalem is among the contentious issues of the decades-long peace talks, which have tabled a two-state solution, apart from the right to return and the issue of illegal Jewish settlements that nevertheless have expanded under the watch of the hawkish Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Further, tension will mount with Muslims wary of what will happen with the Old City and the Al Aqsa Mosque if Israel moves to formally make all of Jerusalem its capital. The mosque in East Jerusalem, at the center of battlegrounds since the Crusades, has deep symbolic meaning to Muslims, who pray there every day.

But as we will see increased fury against the US, it is actually the local Palestinians who will bear the brunt of Israel’s rule. Nevertheless, the Palestinians should also blame themselves for Trump’s move, because they have been unable to forge unity vis-à-vis foreign intervention.

As a Muslim-majority country, Indonesia has rightly spoken out to reject President Trump’s decision. President Jokowi has placed Palestine’s independence high on his foreign policy agenda. It is time for Jokowi to show the world that Indonesia can do more than simply joining the chorus of condemnation against Trump’s recklessness.

(http://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2017/12/08/editorial-trumpeting-jerusalem.html)

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POINTS TO PONDER

EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

Trumpeting Jerusalem