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| Septifa Leiliano Ceria, S.Sy., M.MECAS. (Photo: Special) |
The conflict between Israel and Palestine has never subsided. The most recent war broke out when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, and Israel countered with airstrikes. Concerning this matter, Septifa Leiliano Ceria, S.Sy., M.MECAS. Lecturer in the International Relations Study Program at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) emphasized that the war between Palestine and Israel is not a religious conflict.
She explained that before the Ottoman Turks collapsed, the Arabs in the Jerusalem region were very peaceful and tranquil. The Arabs comprised various religions, including Islam, Christianity, and Jewishness. However, there was an imbalance when Ottoman Turkey collapsed, and Britain controlled the country in the east. It was exacerbated by the effects of the First World War when many of the Jews outside Jerusalem were oppressed by the Nazis.
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It led to numerous ethnic Jews flocking to Jerusalem for refuge. This phenomenon is also due to the promise of the British state, which would provide sovereign territory for ethnic Jews in the land of Jerusalem.
"The region was Palestine. That encouraged ethnic Jews to continue expanding their territory on that land. By some parties and individuals, the issue that should be a struggle for territory is turned into a religious war," she explained.
Ano, as she is often called, provided several strategies to resolve the territorial struggle. One of them is to negotiate between countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, America, and, of course, Israel to agree on the human rights of Palestinians. After that, it was continued by deciding on the boundaries of the territory between Palestine and Israel. It aims to determine the territorial limits of each country.
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"As far as we know, Israel does not want to reduce its territory, but the protection of the rights of Palestinian citizens must be considered. There must be a special agreement that regulates this, then proceed with an agreement on the division of territories," she said.
He also offered several steps that Indonesia could take towards the conflict. For example, related to humanitarian issues by providing logistical assistance for food, education, and treatment for the victims of war, "Humanitarian issues need to be raised intensively. Especially considering the long distance between Indonesia and Palestine. Thus, there is little possibility to conduct diplomatic assistance," she concluded. (*faq/wil/put)
