International Courant
Medan, Indonesia – Indonesian President Joko Widodo is in america this week for a summit with President Joe Biden on the White Home, and later to attend the thirtieth Asia-Pacific Financial Cooperation (APEC) Summit in San Francisco, amid the continued Israeli conflicts. -Gaza conflict.
The go to has raised questions on whether or not Widodo, popularly referred to as Jokowi, will name for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The problem is especially heated now that the Indonesia Hospital, situated in northern Gaza, has been surrounded by Israeli forces.
The hospital was in-built 2011 with donations from Indonesian residents and organizations, together with the Indonesian Purple Cross and the Muhammadiyah Society, one among Indonesia’s largest Muslim organizations. It was formally inaugurated in 2016 by then Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla.
Three Indonesian volunteers from the Indonesian humanitarian group Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C), which organized the donations for the development of the hospital, are at the moment based mostly in North Gaza.
Nevertheless, regardless of the grim state of affairs within the besieged enclave, specialists informed Al Jazeera that Widodo would seemingly use the White Home go to to debate a variety of points.
“He’s more likely to focus on numerous points associated to funding and commerce, particularly relating to the motion of capital and essential minerals similar to nickel, downstreaming and electrical car manufacturing in Indonesia,” stated Ahmad Rizky M Umar, affiliate professor on the College of Queensland.
Indonesia despatched humanitarian help to Palestinians in Gaza earlier this month (Bay Ismoyo/AFP)
Commerce and funding
As an outgoing president whose second and last time period ends subsequent yr, Widodo will seemingly give attention to securing his legacy and supporting ongoing tasks already within the works, similar to plans to focus on 1.5 million of Jakarta’s 11 million residents to maneuver. to East Kalimantan as a part of the brand new capital mission estimated to price round US$32 billion.
Umar added that Widodo would seemingly additionally focus on Indonesia’s membership of the Group for Financial Co-operation and Improvement (OECD), which may make the nation extra enticing to buyers given the group’s dedication to greatest practices because the Southeast’s largest economic system -Asia seems to be attracting extra American buyers. entrepreneurs.
“He’s additionally more likely to focus on the elevation of bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and america to a ‘complete strategic partnership’,” Umar stated.
In line with the White Home, the theme for this yr’s APEC is “Making a Resilient and Sustainable Future for All” with the purpose of constructing “an interconnected, revolutionary and inclusive” area and selling “a free, honest and open financial coverage agenda that advantages American staff, companies and households.”
Based in 1989, APEC has 21 members, together with Indonesia, Australia, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, america and Vietnam, which quantity almost 3 billion folks and contribute 62 p.c to the nation’s gross home product (GDP). the world, whereas they management virtually 3 billion folks. half of all world commerce.
Indonesia itself can also be a significant rising economic system that some imagine may rank among the many high 5 economies worldwide by mid-century.
Yohanes Sulaiman, a lecturer in worldwide relations at Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani in Bandung, informed Al Jazeera that though Widodo would point out Palestine, it might not be the principle matter of dialogue.
The US has supported Israel since Hamas launched a shock wave of assaults on October 7 that killed no less than 1,200 folks and captured one other 200.
Following the assault, Israel declared conflict on Hamas and subjected Gaza, residence to about 2.3 million folks, to brutal bombardments.
Greater than 11,000 folks have died.
“I believe he’ll give attention to the economic system and broader Indonesian relations with america. He isn’t the form of chief who desires to interact with America. He’ll wish to be certain that relations with america run easily,” he stated.
“He’ll give attention to what Indonesia can achieve from the go to and never spend an excessive amount of time on different issues. It will likely be a transactional assembly.”
An open letter to Widodo
However as a lot as Widodo desires to give attention to financial issues, the thorny difficulty of the Indonesia Hospital will seemingly be tough to disregard.
“I believe he’ll discuss Palestine, particularly about humanitarian help and a ceasefire, as a result of Israel itself has accused the Indonesia Hospital of being a hideout for Hamas,” stated Umar, a lecturer on the College of Queensland.
Final week, Israel accused the Indonesian hospital of harboring Hamas fighters in tunnels beneath the constructing.
Indonesia’s International Ministry rejected the accusations and stated the Indonesia Hospital would serve the Palestinians “totally.”
Indonesia is essentially the most populous Muslim nation on the planet; 207 million of the 270 million folks observe Islam. The nation doesn’t preserve formal diplomatic relations with Israel and there’s no Israeli embassy in Indonesia.
Indonesian residents and the federal government have lengthy been seen as sympathetic to the Palestinian trigger – a whole bunch of 1000’s have taken to the streets of Jakarta in current weeks to name for a ceasefire – however there have been periodic makes an attempt to ease relations with Israel thawing, additionally beneath former President Abdurrahman Wahid.
On November 11, MER-C despatched an open letter to Widodo, calling on him to make use of his go to to the White Home to “save the Indonesia Hospital.”
“At the moment marks the thirty sixth day that the world is witnessing indiscriminate aggression, homicide and mass slaughter of civilians within the Gaza Strip, the vast majority of whom are ladies and kids (…) all hospitals within the Gaza Strip have fallen sufferer to the brutality of Israeli military,” the letter stated.
It added that the Indonesian hospital was attempting to function amid complete darkness and a scarcity of medicines.
MER-C continued that it hoped Widodo would increase the hospital difficulty throughout his assembly with Biden, and “put strain on the world, particularly america, to right away name a ceasefire within the Gaza Strip provoke and save the Indonesia Hospital from Israeli assaults.”
“In mild of this, will the world and our Indonesian nation stay silent?” the letter stated.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo visits US amid tensions in Gaza | Political information
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