Jakarta: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reiterated that a peacekeeping mission in the besieged Gaza Strip, Palestine, is only viable under a United Nations mandate. “So far, the UN has yet to touch upon the discourse on rolling out a peacekeeping operation in Gaza,” the ministry’s spokesperson, Rolliansyah Soemirat, informed via a short message received in Jakarta on Monday.
He said that countries are currently prioritizing the genuine implementation of Resolution 2735 adopted by the UN Security Council in a bid to put an end to hostilities between Israel and Palestinian resistance force Hamas.
“The number of UN peacekeeping personnel to be deployed and the expertise needed are and will always be adjusted to the real condition in the field,” he added.
Earlier, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi and commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), General Agus Subiyanto, affirmed Indonesia’s readiness to field personnel for a prospective UN-authorized peacekeeping operation in Gaza.
“Indonesia is ready to send its peacekeeping forces under a UN mandate. I emphasize, under a UN mandate,” Marsudi said after a meeting with Commission I of the House of Representatives (DPR) here on June 5, 2024.
The following day, General Subiyanto announced that his side would prepare four battalions for a Gaza peacekeeping mission if mandated by the UN.
“We will form a brigade consisting of a Support Battalion, an Engineer Battalion, a Health Battalion, and a Supply Battalion,” he informed after attending a meeting with the legislative commission.
Both statements were made in response to similar remarks conveyed by Defense Minister Prabowo during the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue 2024 held in Singapore on June 1.
“We are ready to delegate peacekeeping forces to maintain and monitor the prospective ceasefire as well as provide protection and security to all parties and all sides,” he said.
On the occasion, he also emphasized the importance of pursuing inclusive dialogues and implementing the two-state solution to achieve peace.
“The two-state solution is the only feasible option for Israel and Palestine to achieve lasting peace and security,” said Prabowo, who will succeed President Joko Widodo for the 2024–2029 presidential period.
