Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI), the top officially Muslim organization and the country's biggest Muslim group, on Tuesday condemned Israel retaliatory attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, saying that the incursions were unproportional.

Secretary of the MUI, Din Syamsuddin, who is also the chairman of the Muhammaddiyah, said that the attacks, which was blindly at random targets in Gaza and Lebanon killing hundreds of innocents, were unfair and intolerable from any points of view, moral ethics and human rights.

"We (the MUI and the Muhammaddiyah) strongly condemn (the action), therefore we encourage many parties to give pressure to Israel," he told reporters at the Vice Presidential Palace here.

However, he discouraged the sending of individual from radical groups for engaging in Jihad, the holy war, into Palestine, saying the logistic and medical assistance would be more beneficial at the current situation.

To build peace in the region, Syamsuddin noted that radical groups from both sides should refrain themselves from unnecessary steps, especially violence.

The escalation of the conflict in the Middle East has caused the skyrocketing of world oil price to over 80 U.S. dollar a barrel.

"No one can get benefit from this conflict neither Palestine nor Israel," said Syamsuddin.

Regarding to U.S. President Bush's comment that he could understand on the Israeli move, Syamsuddin said that "it can be understood, because he is pro-Israel. The United States has never been neutral."

Over the past six days, Israel launched military operations in Lebanon as a revenge after the radical Hezbollah held two Israeli hostages on Wednesday, and Hezbollah fought back with rockets.

Source: Xinhua