ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – Southeast Asian (ASEAN) defense ministers gathered in Jakarta, calling for an end to the war in Gaza, Palestine. They also asked the world to collaborate in building a humanitarian aid corridor in Gaza.
The ASEAN defense ministers met on the agenda of the 17th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) Senayan, Wednesday, November 15 2023.
The Minister of Defense of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, in his speech highlighted the Israel-Hamas war.
“Indonesia is deeply saddened by the worsening situation in Gaza, especially the dire humanitarian conditions,” he said.
He emphasized that violence against civilians must stop. “Instead, efforts to achieve a ceasefire must continue and safe humanitarian aid channels must be expanded and accelerated,” he said.
ASEAN has not made an official statement regarding the Israel-Hamas war, and this is not surprising considering that each member of the bloc views this conflict differently.
Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, three ASEAN members with Muslim-majority populations, have long been strong supporters of Palestine. Neither of them has diplomatic relations with Israel.
Malaysian Defense Minister Mohammad Hasan condemned Israel’s bombing of civilians, homes and hospitals in Gaza and the resulting massacre of innocent lives, children, women and men.
Meanwhile, Singapore took a firm stance against Hamas and strongly condemned the attack carried out by the militant group in Israel on October 7, which sparked war.
“The more important lesson for us is that peace can be stolen or lost very quickly,” said Ng Eng Hen, Singapore’s defense minister.
He continued, “Even though we are now in a region of relative peace and security, we could lose that if we as leaders in our country do not pay attention to the deteriorating situation in the Middle East and Asia.” (AT Network)
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