JAKARTA (Reuters): Indonesia’s leader Joko Widodo said on Thursday he would convey to United States President Joe Biden in their meeting on Monday that the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas should be stopped.
Jokowi, as the leader of the world’s largest Muslim-majority country is popularly known, is set to fly to Riyadh for an international summit about the war on Friday, the outcome of which he said he will convey to Biden.
“I will be delegated to tell President Joe Biden that the Hamas-Israel war should immediately be stopped,” he said, declining to provide further details.
Hamas gunmen burst through to Israel on Oct. 7 and killed 1,400 people, prompting the Israeli military to launch relentless attacks on Gaza in which Palestinian authorities say more than 10,500 have been killed.
Indonesia has joined many countries in calling for an immediate ceasefire and has sent humanitarian aid to Gaza.
A White House spokesperson previously said Jokowi and Biden would also discuss ways to uphold international law and ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.
