July 2, 2025
JAKARTA – Foreign Minister Sugiono told a hearing at House of Representatives Commission I overseeing foreign affairs that Israel’s offensive in Gaza and the Jewish state’s attack on Iran could inspire other countries in the world to take actions that contravened international law.
Sugiono said other countries could use the argument of protecting their national interests as an excuse if they decided to break international norms.
“Maybe other countries in the world will now have the courage to break international law under the guise of protecting their national interests,” Sugiono was quoted by Antara as saying.
Sugiono said that Israel’s actions in the Middle East had created a crisis in the region, which he feared could spill over into other parts of the world, including the Indo-Pacific region.
The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 56,531 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.
Israel on June 13 launched a major bombing campaign against Iran, killing top military commanders and atomic scientists.
The Israeli strikes hit military bases, nuclear sites as well as residential areas across Iran.