Gaza war tests Indonesia’s free and active foreign policy

April 30, 2024

JAKARTA – These past eight months, the world has been watching a genocide unfolding in the Gaza Strip not only with horror but also with frustration because no one force, not even the United Nations, could stop Israel from killing tens of thousands of innocent people, including women and children.

Watching from Jakarta, it is even more frustrating that our government has had little impact in influencing the course of the war, although not necessarily for lack of trying. The public at home and many around the world expect more from Indonesia, now widely recognized with the credentials of a middle power.

The Gaza war is putting Indonesia’s independent and active foreign policy to the test. While we have shown to be quite independent in approaching the Israel-Palestinian conflict, we could certainly be more active, and hopefully influential, particularly in Gaza.

Lest our own diplomats forget, Indonesia is the fourth most populous nation on earth, the third-largest democracy in the world, the largest democracy among Muslim-majority countries, a rapidly growing economy and it has an impeccable diplomatic track record in promoting peace and stability in Southeast Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific region.

Now, as a middle power with all the leverages that come with this status, we should put the “independent and active” foreign policy doctrine beyond our immediate region, including in the Middle East and the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Sadly, we are falling short of expectations.

Indonesia has been a consistent staunch supporter of the Palestinian people’s quest for their own independent nation, becoming among the first countries that immediately recognized the state of Palestine when it was declared in 1998.

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