Jakarta, MINA – The Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) for International Cooperation, Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim has cautioned the Indonesian government to be careful in addressing the issue of sending Indonesian Army troops to the Gaza Strip, Palestine, which has recently been widely reported by several media outlets, including Israeli media.
Sudarnoto stated that news regarding the plan to send 5,000 to 8,000 Indonesian soldiers to Gaza is circulating increasingly widely. In fact, Indonesia is reportedly the first country that will send troops to the area, with reports indicating that the Indonesian Army has carried out several preparations.
According to Sudarnoto, if the troop deployment is carried out under the framework of the International Stabilization Force (ISF), it needs to be examined seriously because he believes the ISF is under US control and has a post-conflict regional security agenda.
“Its direction is essentially to create stability in the Gaza region post-conflict. The spirit of this ISF aligns with the demilitarization program in Gaza and Palestine overall,” he said in a written statement on Monday.
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He believes this program could potentially lead to the disarmament of Palestinian resistance groups, especially Hamas, which has been the main force in facing Israeli aggression.
“The logic is clear: as long as Hamas exists and Hamas is armed, regional security is considered unattainable. Therefore, Hamas must be disarmed, not the Israeli army,” he emphasized.
Sudarnoto also highlighted that to date, the ISF has not become a single official entity like UNIFIL in Lebanon or UNDOF in the Golan Heights, which are under a UN Security Council mandate.
Therefore, he warned Indonesia not to get trapped in the hegemonic agenda of the United States and Israel, which could potentially subjugate Gaza and Palestine.
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“If not carefully considered, sending troops carries high risks because it will confront Hamas. This must not happen. Indonesia’s reputation as a nation that has long defended Palestine could be damaged,” he said.
Furthermore, Sudarnoto asserted that Indonesia’s struggle has always been to support Palestinian independence and eliminate colonization on earth, including Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.
“The ISF is not an instrument for peace and Palestinian independence. It is very rational to reconsider sending Indonesian troops to Gaza under the ISF framework,” he concluded. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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