Moya Institute Webinar Emphasizes Indonesia’s Contribution to Resolving the Palestine-Israel Conflict
Jakarta – Indonesia’s determination to support complete independence for Palestine has never faded since decades ago. All of Indonesia’s international political steps from time to time have always advocated peace and full independence for Palestine to become a sovereign state.
The General Secretary of PP Muhammadiyah, Prof. Abdul Mu’ti considers that the Palestine – Israel war is a multidimensional conflict because it not only looks at geopolitical aspects, but also the theological claims of the Zionists who view the land of Palestine as the land of their ancestors.
“The second dimension, namely politics, is also strong in the Israeli-Palestinian war. Therefore, all parties agreed that a political solution was more suitable to resolve the war. “A two-state solution is the most logical solution for resolving the conflict between the two nations, because according to the Israelis they also have the right to live in that area, but so far they have occupied Palestinian land, which is considered colonialism,” said Mu’ti in the Moya Institute Webinar entitled “Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: Opportunities for Resolution” quoted on Saturday, November 18 2023.
Former Indonesian Ambassador to Ukraine, Yuddy Chrisnandi, emphasized that Indonesia has a strategic role in realizing peace between Palestine and Israel because Indonesia has great bargaining power among Islamic countries that are members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). This is also because Indonesia is the largest Muslim country and adheres to free and active politics and fully condemns all kinds of colonialism in the world.
“OIC countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates do not have as much bargaining power as Indonesia in voicing the interests of Muslims,” said Yuddy.
Prof. Imron Cotan, as an observer of strategic and global issues, believes that there are fundamental differences between Jews and the Zionist movement. Jews are generally good, because they have similar religious rules with Islam. Meanwhile, Zionism is a political movement that wants the formation of a Jewish state on Palestinian land, rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Chancellor of General Achmad Yani University, Prof. Dr. Hikmahanto Juwana also highlighted the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who is considered a war criminal for the attack on Gaza, Palestine.
However, legal challenges arise because Israel is not a member of the Rome Statute (1998), which allows trials by the International Criminal Court (ICC). An alternative is through a UN Security Council resolution, although a possible veto by the US could be an obstacle.
“But, in the future, the US will definitely veto this at the UN Security Council, so the world body will actually be like a ‘toothless tiger’,” said Hikmahanto.
“In the context of resistance, Palestinian forces have the right to take steps to free themselves from Israeli colonialism. However, what big countries, especially the US, are echoing is Israel’s right to defend itself, after the Hamas attack on October 7. “Forgetting the fact that the Palestinian people have been oppressed for 75 years,” said Imron Cotan.
The Executive Director of the Moya Institute, Hery Sucipto, expressed deep concern about the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza, especially considering the number of child victims which reached more than 50 percent of the total victims.
“Because of this, the Moya Institute took the initiative to hold this webinar to analyze developments that have occurred, read about possible potential solutions, including reviewing possible steps that Indonesia could take to play a more active role in efforts to create peace between Palestine and Israel,” said Hery.
