Jakarta. Indonesia has called the Palestine question a “test” to the world’s conscience as Jakarta pledged continued support for Palestinians in a UN speech that avoided directly naming Israel.

Palestinian statehood has become a staple in Indonesia’s diplomatic engagements, including when Foreign Minister Sugiono addressed the UN General Assembly on Saturday night local time. Sugiono spent the first half of the speech calling for stronger multilateralism and the badly needed UN reforms. But for Indonesia, institutions are only “as strong as the principles” of international law they are willing to uphold. It’s also imperative to respect sovereignty and end colonialism.

“This is where Palestine remains one of the clearest tests of these principles, and the test of our conscience,” Sugiono told the UN hall.

Sugiono said that the “clear violations of international law in Gaza” were reminiscent of the time when the UN Charter, the Human Rights Declaration, or the Geneva Conventions —  which had laid down laws to protect civilians during wars —  had not existed.

“Indonesia will continue to stand with the Palestinian people until their right to self-determination is fulfilled,” Sugiono said. 

Jakarta’s support will continue until an independent Palestine exists “based on the two-state solution in accordance with international law and internationally agreed parameters”. Sugiono was referring to the widely accepted framework of creating a Palestinian state separate from that of Israel.

“Palestine is not only a question for one region. It is a test of whether a multilateral system can uphold the very principles it was created to defend, and whether it can deliver when it matters most,” Sugiono stated.

Indonesia did not directly mention Israel. The US-led Board of Peace (BoP) and the planned Gaza force deployment were missing from the 18-minute remarks.

The Prabowo Subianto administration has caught flak after signing up for the BoP as it would mean sharing a seat with Israel.

Analysts are keeping a close eye on what Sugiono would say as it would test how far would Jakarta would be willing to go to back Palestine, especially after the controversial BoP entry.

Yusli Effendi, a foreign policy expert from Brawijaya University, told the Jakarta Globe that Indonesia must “stay away from using the old mantra when addressing the Palestinian issue” in its UN statement.

“After joining BoP, what will Indonesia fight for from within?” Yusli wondered ahead of the speech.

US President Donald Trump has introduced the board as a springboard for Gaza reconstruction.

Indonesia has planned to send up to 8,000 personnel to the International Stabilization Forces (ISF), another controversial plan by Trump to help train Palestinian policemen and secure borders.

In March, Indonesia suspended all discussions related to the BoP following the Iran war that the US and Israel have started.

Walkout

The week also saw Indonesia continuing its ritual of skipping Israeli UN speech.

Indonesian diplomats and delegates from other nations recently left the UN hall just when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was about to begin to address the meeting.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Vahd Nabyl A Mulachela said that Indonesia and “like-minded countries” wanted to convey a “clear message” with the walkout.

“That the aggression towards Palestinians and international law violations can’t be normalized and must be stopped,” Nabyl told the press. 

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