TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Middle East geopolitical analyst Dina Sulaeman shed light on the pro-Palestine movement in Indonesia, which tends to be less active compared to other parts of the world. Dina mentioned several reasons behind the less massive support for Palestine in Indonesia.
First, Dina assessed that the narrative of global anti-colonialism and anti-imperialism has not yet been widely discussed in public discourse. "The defense of Palestine is still positioned as the defense of a 'distant nation'," said the international relations lecturer from Padjadjaran University (Unpad) in a written message to Tempo on Tuesday, May 27, 2025.
Historically and politically, Dina conveyed, Indonesia has been supporting Palestine for decades. For example, before Indonesia gained independence in 1945, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) had raised solidarity funds for the Palestinian struggle against the British and Zionist militias in 1938.
According to Dina, this condition evokes a feeling of "having done enough" in the minds of the Indonesian people. "It's like, 'We have been pro-Palestine, what more do we need to do?'", she said.
Furthermore, Dina explained that if the people realize that Indonesia's colonization in Palestine is part of global neo-imperialism, they would understand that defending Palestine is the same as defending Indonesia.
For Dina, Israel can continue its genocide in Gaza and occupy Palestine because it is supported by global capitalism. Countries backing Israel, Dina emphasized, are also exploiting the wealth of nations, including Indonesia, in unfair ways.
Previously, hundreds of thousands of people in various major cities in Europe held massive protests on May 15 to commemorate Nakba Day--the day when over 700,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homeland after the establishment of Israel in 1948.
As reported by Anadolu and Aljazeera, the protests also served as condemnation of the brutal Israeli attacks in Gaza. Activists said that history is repeating itself today in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
In Stockholm, thousands of people crowded Odenplan Square upon the invitation of several civil society organizations.
The demonstrators carried Palestinian flags, photos of children killed in the attacks, and banners that read "Stop the Zionist regime's genocide in Palestine."
Some participants held posters with the names of civilians killed in Gaza to draw attention to the ongoing humanitarian tragedy.
In April, clashes occurred between police and pro-Palestine students in the United States who opposed the Israeli attacks in Gaza. Police took to the streets and resorted to violence to quell the widespread protests following mass arrests at Columbia University a week earlier. The clashes between police and students protesting the war in Gaza erupted on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
Sita Planasari contributed to the writing of this article.
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