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Indonesia unlikely to boycott pro-Israel products
While a boycott may hurt Indonesia more, analysts concur that the country may need to make a stronger diplomatic gesture to push for changes in the war-torn region.
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Youths attend a candlelight vigil at the Palestinian embassy in Jakarta on Nov. 2, 2023. Thousands of civilians, both Palestinians and Israelis, have died since Oct. 7, 2023, after Palestinian Hamas militants based in the Gaza Strip entered southern Israel in an unprecedented attack triggering a war declared by Israel on Hamas with retaliatory bombings on Gaza. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
T
he public calls for a boycott of what are perceived as pro-Israeli businesses have been growing lately amid the worsening conditions in the Gaza Strip, but the government has expressed a reluctance to impose any official economic sanctions.
This hesitancy has been seen by experts as a reflection of Jakarta’s lack of trade leverage and its diplomatic tendency to disfavor unilateral coercive measures. While a boycott may hurt Indonesia more, analysts agree that the country may still need to make a stronger diplomatic gesture to push for changes in the war-torn region.
Entering its third week, the war between Israeli armed forces and Palestinian militant group Hamas has only worsened, with Tel Aviv continuing its disproportionate attack on civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip and blockade of basic necessities.
While calls for a negotiated ceasefire have met with a dead end at the United Nations, grassroots boycotts of Israeli and what are seen as pro-Israeli products have become one of the most widespread methods of non-violent protest against the Middle Eastern war in recent weeks.
People across the globe have refused to purchase products from brands that have publicly declared their support for the Israeli state in what is known as the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Movement.
The movement, which lists a string of international companies linked to Israel, has gained traction worldwide, at times affecting targeted companies’ share values. For example, after a public declaration of a donation to the Israeli military sparked a widespread boycott, McDonald’s global share value dropped to US$245.50 per share, its lowest price since October 2022.
Read also: Indonesian hospital in Gaza in its last hours amid Israel’s fuel blockade
