TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian government must take immediate concrete steps to halt the killing of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The government's commitment to support Palestine's goal to gain independence, requires real evidence as the world sits back and watches the unbalanced battle between the Hamas militias-the faction that has controlled Gaza since 2007-and the Israeli army.
As of Friday last week, some 85 people are believed to have been killed, many of them civilians, children and old people. Houses and buildings have been destroyed by rockets, something that the Israelis have never done since the Intifada uprising in 2005. If this situation is allowed to go on, Israel's army offensive can lead to genocide.
This current armed conflict was triggered by the abduction of three Israeli teenage boys, who were later found dead, at the end of June. Israel claimed the perpetrators to be a hardline group affiliated with Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu immediately launched 'Operation Protective Edge', justifying it as a defence against Palestinian attacks.
The Palestinian people appear to be alone in this conflict. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has only come to their defence with statements. Predictably the UN Security Council, the institution tasked with maintaining world peace and security, was not quick enough to react, while the United States backed Israel's move, even as the number of victims rapidly rose.
In such an isolated position, Palestine urgently needs Indonesian concrete support. Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, who claims to have used all diplomatic channels to stop the violence against Palestinians, must move fast to achieve a ceasefire. The Indonesian government can collaborate with the Organization of Islamic Conference to press the UN Security Council to force Israel to stop the killings.
After that, a human corridor must immediately be created at the Gaza Strip, to enable medical and humanitarian personnel to enter Gaza to distribute all that is necessary to help the beseiged residents. Concurrently, Indonesia can take the initiative to press governments, along with Hamas and Fatah, both of which should have begun jointly governing Palestine on July 1, to immediately function as a political entity. Because, through such a joint administration that is recognized by the Security Council, negotiations on a permanent peace can begin.
For the long term, the Indonesian government need to prepare a diplomatic 'army' especially to manage Palestinian issues. The first step to be taken would be to urge the formation of a fact-finding team to investigate the abduction of the three Israeli youths which led to the resumption of the armed conflict. A similar investigation was once carried out following the three-week military action in 2008-09, killing about 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis. The team was led by Richard Goldstone-who once investigated crimes against humanity in Rwanda and Yugoslavia. The aim is to prove crimes were committed during the conflict, by both Palestine and Israel.
The way to an independent Palestine is sure to be long and complicated. But a concrete contribution can be made, following on from the example of Goldstone's team. One clear manifestation of this commitment would be to open an Indonesian embassy in Palestine and to fight for Palestine's right to be a member of the United Nations. This would be much more significant and beneficial than issuing a strong statement. (*)