Indonesia told to seek coalition against Israel

Indonesia told to seek coalition against Israel
Abdul Khalik, , The Jakarta Post, , Jakarta | Mon, 01/05/2009 11:05 AM | Headlines
Having joined a host of countries in condemning Israel for its attacks on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip,
Indonesia is being urged to initiate a "coalition of the willing" to force the Jewish state to pull out of Palestine.
The coalition -- which would be similar to the one established by the United States before it invaded Iraq --
should include countries of a similar concern regarding the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and
that are willing to conduct humanitarian missions there, observers and experts said Sunday.
Such an alliance should be forged if those nations failed through diplomacy to persuade Israel to stop its
attacks against Hamas targets in Gaza, in which hundreds of Palestinians have been killed.
"It's time for the international community to form a 'coalition of the willing' in which members pool together
military resources to conduct a humanitarian intervention. You see, the UN Security Council is powerless to
authorize the use of force against Israel because the U.S. has impaired it," University of Indonesia
international law expert Hikmahanto Juwana said.
He said such a coalition was necessary because the Israeli attacks could not be justified under international
laws because they were "disproportional and offensive", and not defensive as claimed by Israel.
Hikmahanto said the world could no longer depend on the UN and the United States as the 'world's police'
because they applied a double standard when it came to the issue of Israel.
"This is not about religion. It is about a state using violence against other states, and creating a humanitarian
crisis. If Arab countries won't initiate the coalition, then Indonesia and even Russia can work together to
establish it," he said.
International relations expert Bantarto Bandoro of the Institute of Defense and Security Studies supported
Indonesia's aim to initiate such a coalition, saying it was the best available alternative to remedy the current
condition.
"You see, every Israeli move must have the blessing of the U.S.. So, if we can't push Israel, we must push
the U.S.. That's why the members of the coalition must include those country that have leverage vis a vis the
U.S.," he said.
Bantarto said members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the European Union and Arabic
countries should form the coalition.
A senior legislator from the Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party, Mahfudz Siddiq, called on Indonesia to
invite members of the Asian-African conference to form a coalition to stop the attacks and seek a solution to
free Palestinians from the Israeli attacks.
"President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should tell all leaders of the countries joining the Asian-African
conference that it's time for Palestine to gain its independence," he said.
Rights activist Chalid Mawardi of the Indonesians for Free Palestine Movement said Indonesia and the
Middle Eastern countries should actively use their bargaining chips to put pressure on Israel and the United
States to stop the killings in Gaza.