Jokowi to deliver Muslim world’s plea on Gaza to Biden

The Indonesian president will need to peform a delicate balancing act with his American counterpart.

Joko Widodo and Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi inspect a shipment of humanitarian aid bound for the Gaza Strip. Picture: AFP

Joko Widodo will deliver an ­urgent message to US President Joe Biden on Monday on behalf of the Muslim world that he must help bring the Israel-Hamas war to an immediate end, the Indonesian leader said ahead of the trip.

Jokowi will attend an emergency meeting of the 57-member state Islamic Organisation of Islamic Co-operation in Riyadh to discuss the deadly conflict on Sunday ­before flying to Washington for a bilateral meeting with Mr Biden ahead of the APEC summit in San Francisco next week.

“Whatever the result of the OIC Summit, I will be dispatched to convey it to President Biden so that the war between Hamas and Israel can be stopped,” Jokowi said.

Saudi Arabia is hosting two weekend summits to discuss the crisis, with the Arab League meeting on Saturday to agree on ­actions to “stop the aggression, support Palestine and its people, condemn the Israeli occupation, and hold it accountable for its crimes”.

As the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, Indonesia has consistently called for an end to the war in Gaza – a message foreign ministry officials said Jokowi would forcefully reiterate on Monday during his talks with Mr Biden.

But the meeting will be a delicate balancing act for Jokowi, who must present a determined front for a domestic audience deeply concerned at Palestinian suffering in Gaza, while making the case for Indonesian nickel producers to be given access to lucrative Inflation Reduction Act subsidies.

Jakarta has lobbied hard for ­inclusion in the IRA, which promotes “made in America” electric vehicles using materials sourced from within the US, or from countries with existing US free-trade agreements, which Jakarta does not have.

While Indonesia has the world’s largest reserves of nickel, the industry is highly dependent on financing from Chinese companies, which could rule out its ­eligibility for subsidies under IRA rules (which classify China and Russia as entities of concern) if it is unable to negotiate a carve out.

Indonesian political and security analyst Yohanes Sulamain told The Weekend Australian the Biden administration was likely more worried about Jakarta’s growing closeness to China than its position on Gaza, and may view the IRA as a “carrot” to lure ­Jokowi closer to the US.

“Indonesia doesn’t have much leverage (on Gaza) apart from the fact it has the world’s biggest Muslim population,” Professor Sulamain said.

“But by showing up with Biden, Jokowi is already doing him a favour – showing that the US-­Indonesia relationship is still fine regardless.”

The Indonesian government has promised more aid for Gaza, after sending an initial emergency shipment last weekend, and has offered to also dispatch a navy ­hospital ship to treat thousands of wounded civilians in the blockaded strip.

Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, a leading presidential candidate in next February’s elections, said this week he was ready to fly to Cairo to negotiate access through Egyptian waters.

Indonesia has long championed the cause of a Palestinian state and has never recognised the state of Israel.

Tens of thousands of Indonesians rallied in Jakarta last weekend to call for an end to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, which Hamas-controlled health authorities say has now killed more than 10,800 civilians.

The Israeli airstrikes and military ground operations were sparked by the killing of 1400 Israelis by Hamas terrorists who attacked military posts, a civilian music concert and Israeli cities and communities along the border with Gaza on October 7. At least 240 Israelis were also taken hostage but only four have since been released.

An editorial published this week in the English language ­Jakarta Post urged the President to “stay tough on Israel as a matter of constitutional principle and to calm the public anger at the ­continuing violence against the Palestinians”.

But, it added, the Indonesian President “also needs to express his disappointment with Hamas”.