JAKARTA, Feb 26 — Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and the National Alms Agency (Baznas), initiated a campaign to raise US$200 million (RM885.6 million) in humanitarian aid for Palestine.
"We hope this fundraising programme can generate around US$200 million for Palestine," Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Anis Matta said during the campaign launch event in Jakarta today, reported ANTARA News Agency.
He is optimistic about achieving the fundraising target, noting that non-governmental organisations have raised the amount so far.
The ministry did not set a period for fundraising, but the campaign will begin during Ramadan, with funds intended for humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts in Gaza.
"We did not set a fixed target. We started it during the month of Ramadan for two programmes.
"There is an emergency programme now during the ceasefire period and also later for the Gaza reconstruction programme," Matta said.
The campaign, which also involved dozens of alms and humanitarian institutions, was the result of dialogue over the past three months to start a coordinated solidarity movement in distributing aid to Palestine with three main targets.
"The first is a strategic programme and followed by an impactful one, meaning that it brings benefits for Palestinians, and the third is a symbolic one by representing our presence as the largest Muslim country in the world," he said.
On the same occasion, the MUI's head for foreign relations and international cooperation Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim said the distribution of humanitarian aid and reconstruction for Gaza is one of the major programmes requiring support from the international community.
Meanwhile, Baznas' head of planning, studies, and development Zainul Bahar also expressed optimism about the fundraising.
He said Baznas has succeeded in collecting funds for Palestine reaching over 320 billion rupiah (RM84.13 million). Of that amount, 200 billion rupiah (RM53.13 million) will be distributed for education, hospital construction, and housing in Gaza.
— Bernama
