Editor – Southeast Asia Analyst.
The administration announced that we might pay Trump’s membership fee of 1 billion USD – the cost of becoming a member of the Board of Peace. Beyond the affordability questions during Indonesia’s worse period in global capitalism, we tethered ourselves to western imperialists and war criminals. In the same breadth, we are actively breaking international law by aiding in the colonization of Gaza and possibly giving birth to an Israeli annexation of Palestine from the river to the sea.
In reality, we have been breaking international law for a long time, under everyone’s noses. Our trade volume with Israel – amid genocide in Gaza, forced displacement in the West Bank and East Al-Quds (Jerusalem), and political repression and violence against Palestinians in Israel, added to that, Israeli expansion in Lebanon and Syria as well as war with Iran – grew to Rp 4,22 trillion (250 million USD) according to the Ministry of Trade. To be fair, we actually have much more in common with Israelis than many would think; in spite of the claims that we, Indonesians, are natural allies of Palestinians because we are part of the same Ummah, we are no stranger to settler colonialism, occupation, and forced displacement, i.e. Timor Leste and West Papua. Furthermore, the government’s track record on human rights violations would have impressed Menachem Begin and left Marwan Barghouti even more distraught in Israeli political prison.
The Proposal
Since the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the umbrella organization, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), have not done much liberating. Much needed political debate among Palestinians have been stifled and Palestinians under de jure PA rule have suffered under authoritarianism and Israeli occupation for decades. As much as the current Israeli government disdains everything Palestinian, the Security Coordination has given the PA the tools to oppress Palestinians. The PA, the PLO and by extension Fatah in their current form cannot be our international partners. Indonesia must take these following steps:
- Reaffirm the 2006 Palestinian legislative election results.
- Break diplomatic relations with the PA unless the 2006 election results are respected and Hamas takes a lead in forming a government.
Palestinians live under a one-state Israeli reality; in order to allow ample room for debate, strategies, and visions of a free Palestine, Indonesia should provide the space for Palestinians from all corners of the world to safely organize politically:
- Implementing visa-free regimes for Palestinians regardless of their Passport and ID.
- Arresting tourists who have been proven to have participated in war crimes in Gaza.
- Extraditing war criminals with second passports to countries, who have shown a credible commitment to the rule of law: Spain, Ireland, Brazil, and Belgium for instance.
- Extraditing war criminals with second passports, whose countries will surely not prosecute them, directly to the International Criminal Court: Germany and the United States for example.
Out of reach from Israeli striking distance, political parties can set up international offices in Indonesia to begin formulating a united Palestinian vision; Indonesia will merely provide a forum where Hamas, Fatah, PFLP, DFLP, Palestine Islamic Jihad, Democratic Front for Peace and Equality, Balad, Palestinian social movements, policy experts, academics, lawyers, etc. can strategize for the decolonization of Palestine. It is truly important that Palestinians in the homeland and in the diaspora can convene and formulate shared political goals.
We also need to alleviate Palestinian suffering on the ground through material changes:
- Enshrine Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions into Indonesian law.
- Quit the Board of Peace and join Progressive International.
- Coordinate closely with Malaysia within ASEAN to urge Thailand, Singapore, and Philippines to cut all relations with Israel.
- Urge Egypt to reopen the tunnels leading to Gaza by signing cooperation agreements on climate adaptation, textiles, agriculture, water, and nuclear energy. The agreements stand only as long as the tunnels to Gaza are open.
- Exporting weapons to armed Palestinian groups.
The goal is to reduce imports from and exports to Israel down to zero. Companies who refuse to comply with BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanction) will endure hefty fines. To fill the gap in industries caused by BDS, public investment will be funneled toward building alternatives and domestic industries.
We must partner with Malaysia to ensure countries in ASEAN and beyond uphold international law. Naturally, working together with Progressive International, alongside Colombia, is imperative to defending internationalist principles and universal human rights.
Why Palestine
In an era of declining US hegemony, middle powers and smaller states must take steps in order to survive in a volatile international system. The decolonization of Palestine is in the interest of all Indonesians because it will remove a variable in West Asia which hindered prospects for peace and security in neighboring countries since 1948 and deal a blow to the deadly western alliance system. Sitting at the Board of Peace, advancing US and Israeli interests, and contributing soldiers to the colonization of Gaza amounts to ending Indonesia’s Independent and Active politik bebas-aktif. Indonesia is making strategic miscalculations, cozying up to a violent, declining hegemon, instead of hedging against greater powers by forging deeper relations with states striving to protect national sovereignty and internationalist principles such as Malaysia, Colombia, and Brazil.