JAKARTA, Nov 10, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Indonesia's top Islamic clerical body 
issued a fatwa on Friday calling for a boycott of goods and services from 
companies that support Israel in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians.

The religious edict by the Indonesian Ulema Council, or MUI, said Muslims in 
the country must support the Palestinians' struggle against "Israeli 
aggression", while also declaring that support for Israel or its supporters 
is "haram", or against Islamic law.

"MUI call on every Muslim to avoid as much as possible transactions and use 
of Israel products and those that affiliated with Israel, as well as those 
who support colonialism and Zionism," Asrorun Niam Sholeh, an executive of 
the council, told reporters Friday.

"We cannot support the party that is at war with Palestine, including using 
products whose proceeds actually support acts of murder of the Palestinians."

MUI's latest fatwa comes with a campaign spreading in the Middle East calling 
for boycotts of Western brands that have shown support for Israel in its war 
with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israel launched an offensive in Gaza after Hamas fighters poured across the 
militarised border on October 7, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and 
taking around 240 hostages.

Vowing to destroy the militants, Israel retaliated with bombardment and a 
ground campaign that the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip says has 
killed more than 10,800 people, mostly civilians and many of them children.

Fatwas have no legal force and are aimed at encouraging the devout in world's 
most populous Muslim-majority country against taking a certain course of 
action.

Indonesia, a staunch supporter of Palestinian independence, has called for a 
resolution to the conflict based on internationally agreed parameters set by 
the United Nations, which include a two-state solution.