Indonesia’s support for genocide case against Israel in ICJ overshadowed by its dark history
- The Indonesian mass killings in the 1960s and the 1970s East Timor genocide explain Jakarta’s inertia on the 1948 Genocide Convention, analysts say
- It is ‘sad’ Indonesia cannot fully support the case against Israel as Jakarta has been a leading human rights promoter regionally, an academic says
The crackdown against primarily Communist Party of Indonesia members led to the deaths of up to a million people during the Sukarno era, while the massacre in East Timor caused the deaths of at least 100,000 people when Suharto was in power, according to estimates by historians.
Many Indonesians and analysts have pointed out that the country has yet to ratify the 1948 Genocide Convention due to the two historical incidents and other past atrocities, hence tainting its endorsement of South Africa’s case.
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi addressed the Genocide Convention issue on Tuesday. She said even though Indonesia was not a signatory, it supported South Africa’s move to denounce Israel’s violations of the convention at the ICJ.
According to Retno, while Indonesia could not sponsor South Africa’s case in The Hague, it had “actively participated” by giving its legal advisory opinion to the ICJ as a member of the United Nations.