When Indonesia’s leader Joko “Jokowi” Widodo meets with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington next week, he will urge for the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas to be halted.
The meeting is scheduled for Monday, preceding a summit of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders in San Francisco from November 15-17.
Prior to his departure for Saudi Arabia, where he will attend an emergency summit of Islamic nations on the Israel-Hamas war, Jokowi stated that he has been tasked with delivering this message to President Biden.
He explained, “Because from the OIC summit, I will be entrusted to convey to President Joe Biden that the war between Hamas and Israel should be stopped immediately,” according to BenarNews.
The current war started with incursions by the Palestinian militant group into southern Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,000 Israelis. In response, the Israeli Defense Forces launched a counteroffensive that has led to over 10,000 deaths in Gaza, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The Israel-Palestine issue was not mentioned in the White House statement outlining the meeting’s agenda, which focused on enhancing cooperation in areas such as clean energy transition, economic prosperity, regional peace, and strengthening ASEAN centrality in the Indo-Pacific. However, the issue remains important for Indonesia, which has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause and critical of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.
As the leader of the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, it is crucial for Jokowi to address the concerns of the Indonesian public on this issue during his meeting with Biden.
While this stance may pose a risk of upsetting some U.S. officials, the U.S. State Department is likely aware of Indonesia’s consistent position on the Israel-Palestine conflict, and disagreements on this issue are expected to remain contained within U.S.-Indonesia relations.