Indonesian trade minister urges to boycott products from pro-Israel firms

It is necessary to boycott the products of pro-Israeli companies to support Palestine, Republika.co.id quoting Indonesian Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan.

"Whether these measures will help is up to the people. Just keep boycotting (pro-Israeli) products," the minister said, adding that Indonesia strongly condemns Israel's attacks on the Palestinian Gaza Strip. The politician explained that for Indonesia, according to its 1945 constitution, "independence is the inalienable right of all nations."

Hassan also said that he and Indonesian President Joko Widodo will travel to Saudi Arabia today to attend an extraordinary summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on the conflict in the Middle East. At the summit, Widodo plans to meet with US President Joe Biden to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip.

The call for a boycott of products linked to Israel was originally initiated by human rights organisations and activists in Indonesia and Malaysia. Companies on the blacklist include Coca-Cola, Nestle and IBM, which have alleged ties to Israel. Fast food restaurant and coffee shop chains such as KFC, McDonald's and Starbucks are also considered pro-Israeli.