The Jakarta Provincial Government recently lit up a number of pedestrian bridges and main roads in the city with the colors of the Palestinian flag in a show of solidarity with the Middle Eastern state, as hundreds were killed in escalating attacks in the Gaza strip.
Hari Nugroho, who heads Jakarta’s Bina Marga public works agency, said that the order for the installation of the lights came directly from Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan.
“I was instructed by the governor to set the [lights in] colors of the Palestinian flag as a solidarity message to the people of Palestine, and to raise awareness to the public regarding the conflicts that are faced by the Palestinian people,” Hari said.
Since Monday night, at least eight pedestrian bridges were lit in the colors of the Palestinian flag — green, white, black, and red — namely those located near the Jakarta Metro Police HQ, Gelora Bung Karno (GBK), Senayan roundabout, Dr. Sumarno street, Jelambar, Daan Mogot, Senen, and Pasar Minggu.
In addition to the pedestrian bridges, similar lights were installed in Kendal Tunnel in Menteng, Central Jakarta and the Semanggi junction.
Anies previously showed his support for Palestine by draping a turban with the colors of the Indonesian and Palestinian flags on his neck during the Eid prayer at his home last week.
“Our brothers and sisters in Palestine, our children in Palestine, they bow down to God in a tense atmosphere, they went through Ramadan in a situation where their relatives died, victims of violence,” Anies said at the time.
This isn’t the capital’s first display of solidarity for fellow Muslims around the world, as the Jakarta Provincial Government previously paid tribute to the victims of the Christchurch Mosque Shootings in March 2019 by lighting up spots in the colors of the New Zealand flag.
More than a week after escalating violence in Gaza strip, at least 219 Palestinians, including 63 children, have so far been killed, with over 1,500 others wounded. The United Nations said that the Israeli air raids have destroyed more than 450 buildings — including a tower that housed several international news outlets, schools, and residential buildings, among others — which have displaced over 50,000 Palestinians living in the area.
Over in Israel, 12 people including two children were reportedly killed in rocket attacks launched by Palestinian groups, while around 300 others were wounded. Diplomatic efforts between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers for a ceasefire have so far made little progress.
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