Thousands protest in Jakarta against Trump's Jerusalem move

pulse

December 10, 2017 5:24 PM

Thousands of Indonesian Muslims protested Sunday in Jakarta against US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in the latest global show of solidarity with the Palestinians.

Thousands of Indonesian Muslims protested Sunday in Jakarta against US President

Demonstrators -- many in white Islamic robes and skullcaps -- gathered outside the US embassy in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country to vent their anger against the unilateral decision.

Protesters carried Palestinian flags and banners saying "We are with the Palestinians" and "Pray for Palestine".

The rally in Indonesia's capital drew a crowd of at least 5,000 people, police said.

Trump's move on Wednesday to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital upended decades of American diplomacy, causing an overwhelming global diplomatic backlash and sparking Palestinian protests and clashes with Israeli security forces.

The status of Jerusalem is deeply sensitive for Muslims, and protesters have taken to the streets in cities across the world following the policy shift.

Indonesian president Joko Widodo said Thursday he "condemned" Trump's decision on Jerusalem, and ordered the US ambassador in Jakarta to be summoned over the move.

The Islamist Prosperous Justice Party, or PKS -- which organised the Jakarta rally and several others around the country -- slammed Trump's decision as a declaration of "hostility to Muslims throughout the world."

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