(Archive: Originally published in The ASEAN Youth Journal, July 2021)
The persisting Israeli aggression on Palestinians had reached another tipping point around 07 May during the holy month of Ramadan, when state forces fired rubber bullets and stun grenades at Palestinians worshipping inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
This latest conflict between Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Islamist militant group Hamas emerged from an ongoing Supreme Court case that will decide if Palestinian families residing in Sheik Jarrah, a land claimed by Israeli and Jewish settlers, will be forcefully evicted.
The police attack at the mosque had happened hours before an annual protest denouncing Israel’s 1967 occupation.
News agencies Associated Press and Al Jazeera, along with other local news outlets, had to vacate their headquarters after Israel bombed their offices under the pretense that Hamas intelligence agents were also in the building. While tenants were given approximately one hour to evacuate, the IDF did not provide proof of Hamas' presence in the al-Jalaa building.
Less than a month after the ceasefire on 21 May and the proclamation of a new ultranationalist Israeli prime minister on 13 June, Israel launched air raids on the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas deploying incendiary balloons into southern Israel that caused wildfires in agricultural fields. No casualties were reported.
Hamas deployed the balloons as far-right Israelis marched through East Jerusalem and shouted anti-Palestinian remarks, in celebration of the 1967 occupation.
ASEAN leaders demand justice
Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei Darussalam’s leaders in a joint statement condemned Israel’s “illegal expansion of settlements, and the demolitions and seizures of Palestinian-owned structures across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem” and its “violation of international law… perpetrated… through its inhumane, colonial and apartheid policies…”
Indonesia President Joko Widodo, Malaysia Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, and Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei have affirmed their support for “the creation of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine.”
The Philippines and Indonesia have also voted in favor of an investigation by the United Nations Human Rights Council into Israel’s human rights violations in Gaza. The Philippine foreign affairs ministry stated that the country’s position has consistently been in favor of the Palestinians.
In separate statements, Singapore and Thailand urged parties to exercise restraint and cease attacks to prevent more casualties.
"All parties have a responsibility to stop the violence and do their utmost to protect the safety and security of civilians on both sides," a Singapore foreign affairs ministry spokesperson said.
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