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View all search resultsWhy Israel fears Indonesian peacekeepers in Gaza
A closer look at Israel’s internal dynamics reveals a surprising twist: The planned arrival of Indonesian troops is facing fierce opposition from hardline groups in Tel Aviv.
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Police personnel as part of a United Nations peacekeeping force shout slogans during a ceremony commemorating the 78th National Police Day in Jakarta on July 1, 2024. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
T
he government’s plan to deploy up to 8,000 peacekeeping personnel to Gaza as part of an International Stabilization Force (ISF) has sparked heated public debate.
Public reactions are sharply divided between pride in the nation’s active role on one side, and strong skepticism on the other side. Among skeptics, the dominant narrative revolves around concerns that Indonesia is stepping into an American “trap,” or being used to legitimize a foreign scenario agenda.
However, the discussion needs to move beyond anti-Western sentiment alone. A closer look at Israel’s internal dynamics reveals a surprising twist: The planned arrival of Indonesian troops is facing fierce opposition from hardline groups in Tel Aviv, even unsettling right-wing factions within Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition.
International media coverage indicates right-wing figures in Israel are strongly opposed to the presence of Indonesian forces in the proposed mission.
Their objections mirror earlier commentary by Moshe Phillips in The Jerusalem Post on Sept. 27, 2025, where leaders of Americans for A Safe Israel, a well-known pro-Israel advocacy and education organization, characterized Indonesia’s deployment as a “strategic mistake” for Israel. Phillips went further, arguing that Indonesian troops “must stay home,” claiming Indonesia is perceived as politically too aligned with Palestine.
If deploying these troops is truly a trap that harms both Palestine and Indonesia, why would Israel feel threatened?
The answer lies in strategic calculations about Gaza’s post-war trajectory. For hardline factions in Tel Aviv, the ideal post-war Gaza would be a “vacuum zone” under absolute security control by Israeli forces. Such total control would allow “cleansing” operations at will and potentially enable the displacement of Palestinian residents.
