Jakarta blasts Israel over tank fire that injured Indonesian peacekeepers

Indonesia’s UN ambassador is joining international condemnation of Israel over an incident in which two peacekeepers from the country were apparently injured by Israeli tank fire.

The incident “clearly demonstrates how Israel positioned itself above international law, above impunity and above our shared values of peace,” Hari Prabowo says.

A UNIFIL spokeswoman says the two, who did not suffer major injuries, were from Indonesia, a major contributor of troops to UNIFIL.

“This morning, two peacekeepers were injured after an IDF Merkava tank fired its weapon toward an observation tower at UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqura, directly hitting it and causing them to fall,” the mission said earlier, using an acronym for the Israeli military.

Israel says its military “opened fire in the area” of the UNIFIL base after telling UN forces to seek shelter.

Italy’s defense minister Guido Crosetto said earlier that the attack and other incidents UNIFIL blames on Israel “could constitute war crimes.” Italy and other countries have asked for an explanation because “it was not a mistake,” Crosetto said.

Most Popular