JakartaPost-june 13
Prabowo’s Gaza initiatives indicate the incoming administration’s intention of getting actively involved in global efforts to maintain peace and security in the Middle East and beyond. O n behalf of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto attended the “Call for Action: Urgent Humanitarian Response for Gaza” conference in Jordan near the Dead Sea on Monday, where he proposed bringing a certain number of Palestinians war victims to Indonesia for treatment and deploying Indonesian peacekeeping forces to the Gaza Strip. Regardless of their ultimate feasibility, the two action plans are more productive than repeated condemnations of Israel for its assault on Gaza, which has claimed more than 37,000 lives, mostly civilians. Indonesia has been a consistent supporter of Palestinian independence and the two-state solution as the best option to end the decades-long conflict in Middle East. President-elect Prabowo, who will replace Jokowi in October, should combine his two proposals with large-scale diplomatic efforts in collaboration with other developing countries. As a leading member of the Group of 77, which gathers 130 developing countries, Indonesia needs to bring about a new initiative to encourage more countries, especially from the developed world, to recognize Palestine as an independent state. Earlier this year, 146 of the 193 members of the United Nations General Assembly voted in favor of Palestine joining the UN, indicating remarkable progress toward the world’s acceptance of a sovereign Palestinian state. Prabowo’s Gaza initiatives indicate the incoming administration’s intention to get actively involved in global efforts to maintain peace and security. As a middle power, Indonesia under Prabowo stands a good chance of contributing to the world’s bid to create permanent peace in Palestine and beyond. Read more at:
https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2024/06/13/prabowos-gaza-diplomacy.html.
