For over 20 months, the genocide in Gaza has continued unabated. Hundreds of thousands have perished, most of them women and children, victims of brutality legitimized by the paralysis of international politics.

The world watches as hospitals, schools and places of worship are reduced to rubble, while the word “ceasefire” remains mired in endless debates across multilateral forums blocked by US vetoes. Violence persists and the death toll climbs, while the voice of humanity is drowned out by the noise of geopolitics and impunity.

Some US allies are growing uneasy with Israel’s atrocities. Norway, Spain, Ireland, France and even the United Kingdom have voiced their plans to recognize Palestine as a state. This is a significant signal, a renewed opportunity for international diplomacy to halt the violence and reopen a path toward peace. The world must not resign itself to passivity in the face of Palestine’s suffering.

From the perspective of Pancasila feminism, the call to end the violence in Palestine is not just a moral imperative, but a constitutional and spiritual obligation of humanity. It stems from core values: Just and civilized humanity, social justice and a belief in a divinity that embraces all living beings.

The tragedy of Gaza is often framed as a “conflict between two sides.” But in reality, it is genocide committed by one of the most advanced military powers against a civilian population, with half under the age of 18, that is besieged, defenseless and unarmed. Attacks on hospitals, the imprisonment of children, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the blockade of humanitarian aid cannot be justified under any lens, political, religious or security-based.

Pancasila feminism rejects moral relativism that tolerates violence in any form. Any act that strips away human dignity and the right to life, especially against women and children, is a betrayal of the fundamental values of humanity.

It asserts that women’s voices must be central in any peace-building process. Women are not merely victims, they are keepers of peace, nurturers of life and guardians of civilization. A just diplomatic process must include them in shaping a free and peaceful future for Palestine.

The plan by Norway, Spain, Ireland, France, the UK and Germany to recognize the State of Palestine in September offers a glimmer of hope. It may be a corrective to the longstanding global political imbalance that has normalized occupation and apartheid. It also opens a new space for diplomacy rooted in human rights and international law.

Still, this is only the beginning. More countries must speak out, take action and pressure Israel to end its aggression and allow humanitarian access. Indonesia and other founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement, grounded in anti-colonial principles, bear a historical and moral responsibility to expand the reach of peace diplomacy.

The President of Indonesia’s statements on international platforms must be followed by targeted diplomatic pressure, through ASEAN, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the United Nations General Assembly.

Violence cannot resolve the root of the problem. The only just and dignified path is a permanent ceasefire and a fair diplomatic process to establish a sovereign Palestinian state that can coexist peacefully. This must involve principles of international law, reparative justice and victim-centered social reconstruction.

In this context, Pancasila feminism offers an approach based on empathy and spirituality, not mere realpolitik. Genuine peace is not just a political agreement, it is the healing of collective trauma and the acknowledgment of long-denied suffering.

Civil society and academic institutions in Group of Seven countries must raise their voices louder, as silence is a form of complicity. Today, solidarity must go beyond prayers and donations, it must take the form of clear political pressure on all actors who allow the genocide to continue.

Pancasila feminism believes peace cannot be born out of power compromises but must stem from siding with those who suffer most. Today, Gaza mirrors the failure of our global system, but it can also be the turning point, if we dare to choose moral courage and compassion as the basis for international relations.

Every resolution requires political concessions. The dominance of Zionist lobbies in American politics has long been the primary obstacle to ending the genocide and building peace in Palestine. Donald Trump, in particular, will likely continue to support Benjamin Netanyahu’s genocidal actions, unless political pressure within the US itself can shift the tide.

Israel’s dominance in US politics is not merely a foreign policy issue, it is the outcome of a mutually reinforcing system: Powerful political lobbying, a vast military-industrial complex, ideological influence in media and academia and long-term geopolitical interests. In such a system, human values are commodified, victims’ voices are silenced in the name of stability and truth is sacrificed for power.

Pancasila feminism rejects a world where politics is divorced from humanity. We reject a world that chooses profit over care. We cannot rely on great powers that monopolize the definition of “humanity” and apply it with double standards in foreign policy. The US supports Ukraine but enables genocide in Palestine.

Pancasila feminism teaches us to always side with victims, especially those marginalized by power. In this conflict, Palestine is not merely a victim of war, but a victim of a global system that normalizes violence in the name of order and interest. Power is preserved, while Palestinian lives are disregarded.

Challenging Israel’s dominance in US politics is not impossible, but it requires long-term, cross-sector, cross-continental efforts. The key lies in building an alternative power rooted in justice, truth and moral courage. In this endeavor, the voices from the Global South, including Indonesia, have a strategic role in challenging the unjust world order and opening new paths toward real peace.

It is time for the world to unite, not to antagonize the US, but to transcend dependence on the country and to build a new axis of global solidarity, grounded in justice, empathy and peace.

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The writer is lead generator at Sarinah Institute and a board member of the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights. The views expressed are her own.