Indonesia stood with the Hague Group in Bogotá. It must go further for Palestine

At this week’s summit in Bogotá, twelve nations—Indonesia among them—endorsed a joint declaration committing to tangible measures aimed at holding Israel accountable for its ongoing war in Gaza. In a global landscape where high-level condemnation often fails to translate into action, the Hague Group’s initiative stands out for its clarity and resolve. The refusal to transfer arms, deny port access to weapons shipments, and review public contracts tied to the occupation reflects a deliberate effort to move beyond statements toward meaningful constraints.

Indonesia’s participation in this moment should not be understated. As the largest Muslim-majority country and a consistent advocate for justice in Palestine, its involvement in the Bogotá summit reinforces a principled stance it has long maintained. By backing concrete measures, Indonesia lends meaningful support to international efforts aimed at confronting impunity and alleviating a crisis that has taken over 58,000 Palestinian lives.

While the Hague Group’s response marks a modest but coordinated step, Israel’s military operations continue largely undeterred. The siege on Gaza has intensified, humanitarian aid remains blocked, and violations of international law have become systematic. Efforts to constrain these actions through established international institutions—namely the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and International Criminal Court (ICC)—face fierce resistance, not only from Israel, but from powerful states shielding it from accountability.

This resistance must now evolve. Accountability is essential, but it is not the final goal. The question is: what future do we imagine beyond sanctions and legal mechanisms? For Indonesia, the answer must be bolder. It is time to champion the only just solution left on the table: a single binational state where all people living in the land historically known as Palestine share equal rights.

The content of the Bogotá Declaration makes clear that this coalition of states is no longer willing to be complicit bystanders. The statement is notable not for its rhetoric—though that, too, is forceful—but for its specificity. The six measures outlined include arms embargoes, maritime restrictions, economic disentanglement from the occupation, and legal pathways to pursue accountability, including universal jurisdiction. These are not symbolic gestures. They are enforceable policies, subject to domestic legal systems, aimed at disrupting the material and financial machinery that sustains Israeli military actions.

READ: To stand with Palestine, Indonesia must cut ties with the Tony Blair Institute

Moreover, the declaration calls for robust legal responses: national-level prosecutions, support for ICC arrest warrants, and enforcement of the ICJ’s 2024 Advisory Opinion on Israel’s illegal occupation. It also invokes the principle of complementarity with other global efforts—such as the Madrid Group and the upcoming UN conference on Palestine—signalling a willingness to build coalitions beyond regional or ideological lines.

Still, the declaration falls short of naming the political outcome that these measures are meant to serve. It affirms the right to self-determination and references the two-state solution indirectly, yet sidesteps the uncomfortable truth: the two-state framework has been rendered unworkable by decades of annexation, settlement expansion, and political fragmentation. Gaza is decimated. The West Bank is carved into isolated enclaves. East Jerusalem has been absorbed. What remains is not two states, but one deeply unequal reality.

Indonesia, with its global stature and historic ties to anti-colonial movements, is well positioned to name that reality—and to offer a vision beyond it. What the Bogotá summit demonstrated is that countries of conscience—especially those from the global south—are no longer content to be silent witnesses. They are taking up the mantle of international law, not as an abstraction, but as a political tool. Indonesia should help sharpen that tool by giving voice to a future based on full legal and political equality for all in Palestine.

There will be resistance, yes. But leadership is not measured by consensus—it is measured by courage. In standing against impunity in Gaza, Indonesia has shown the beginnings of that courage. Now it must complete the arc. At the UN General Assembly this September, Indonesia should go further: not just in calling for an end to arms transfers and violations of law, but in declaring that the only viable path forward is a single state with equal rights for all.

It is no longer enough to punish injustice. The world must be willing to imagine—and support—what justice actually looks like.

OPINION: ASEAN can—and must—do better on Palestine

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.