Indonesia’s foreign minister didn’t defend the flotilla detainees. He defended Israel’s language

For years, Indonesia has wrapped itself in the moral vocabulary of anti-colonialism and Palestinian solidarity. Its leaders lecture the world about justice, occupation and humanitarian principles. They speak as if Indonesia occupies a unique ethical position among nations — a Muslim-majority democracy supposedly unafraid to confront power on behalf of the oppressed.

Then nine Indonesians were detained by Israeli forces in international waters.

And Indonesia’s foreign minister chose to argue about semantics.

Following a meeting with Commission I of Parliament in Jakarta on May 20, Foreign Minister Sugiono insisted that the detention of Indonesian citizens aboard the Sumud flotilla should not be described as “kidnapping” or “hostage-taking.”

“This is not a case of kidnapping or hostage-taking,” Sugiono said. “This is a case of a humanitarian aid ship being intercepted because Israel prohibits any ship from entering the area.”

Nine Indonesians — four journalists and five activists — were detained by Israel.

And yet the Indonesian government’s first instinct was not outrage, not legal protest, not an uncompromising defense of its citizens, but the policing of language considered too harsh toward Israel.

It was disgraceful.

Sugiono’s use of the word “prohibition” was not some harmless diplomatic refinement. Words in international politics are weapons. They establish legitimacy. They define who possesses authority and who does not.

And by choosing the language of “prohibition,” Indonesia’s foreign minister effectively accepted the premise that Israel had the lawful right to stop civilian vessels and detain foreign nationals in the waters where the operation occurred.

But according to multiple international reports, the interception happened in international waters — not Israeli sovereign territory. 

That changes everything.

On the high seas, states do not possess unlimited authority to conduct coercive enforcement operations against foreign civilian vessels. They certainly do not possess some unquestionable sovereign right to seize journalists and activists carrying humanitarian aid.

Which is precisely why many international observers and governments described Israel’s actions as unlawful and dangerously close to piracy. 

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But Indonesia’s foreign minister decided that the real problem was excessive criticism of Israel.

The cowardice of that choice cannot be overstated.

Sugiono was not acting as a neutral legal analyst. He is not a university lecturer moderating a maritime law seminar. He is Indonesia’s top diplomat. His responsibility is to defend Indonesian citizens and Indonesia’s legal and moral position abroad.

Instead, he publicly softened the characterization of actions taken against Indonesians by a foreign military.

It is difficult to imagine a more humiliating display of diplomatic weakness.

Even countries far closer to Israel than Indonesia issued stronger condemnations. Some demanded explanations. Others denounced the treatment of detainees outright. Yet Jakarta — a government that constantly boasts of its unwavering support for Palestine — suddenly became terrified of using language that might offend Israel.

This is the great fraud at the center of Indonesia’s foreign policy.

Indonesia loves symbolic solidarity. It loves resolutions, speeches and televised outrage safely delivered from podiums thousands of miles away. But when confronted with a real confrontation involving its own citizens, the moral theatrics disappear and bureaucratic timidity takes over.

The gap between Indonesia’s rhetoric and its behavior has never looked wider.

What exactly is Indonesia defending here? International law? Humanitarian principles? Press freedom? National dignity?

Certainly not its citizens.

Four Indonesian journalists were detained by Israeli forces during a humanitarian mission. Any government with a functioning sense of national pride would have reacted with unmistakable anger. Any foreign minister worthy of the office would have made clear that the detention of Indonesian civilians in international waters was unacceptable.

Instead, Sugiono sounded like a spokesperson trying to reassure everyone that Israel’s actions should be understood in the proper context.

That is not diplomacy. That is submission disguised as moderation.

READ: Israeli minister boasts of mistreatment of Gaza flotilla activists

His defenders will argue that diplomacy requires caution, especially because Indonesia lacks formal relations with Israel. They will say inflammatory language could complicate negotiations for the detainees’ release.

But there is a difference between strategic caution and moral surrender.

Sugiono crossed that line the moment he prioritized correcting criticism of Israel over expressing outrage at the detention of Indonesians.

And Indonesians understood exactly what they were hearing.

Critics were right to condemn the minister’s “correction of terminology” — his effort to sanitize the incident through softer language. Because language matters. Once a government accepts the vocabulary of the stronger party, it begins accepting the logic behind the stronger party’s actions as well.

That is how injustice becomes normalized: not only through violence, but through euphemism.

The tragedy here is not merely that Indonesia sounded weak. Weak governments exist everywhere. The tragedy is the hypocrisy.

For decades, Indonesia has claimed the mantle of anti-colonial moral leadership. It portrays itself as a principled voice for the Global South and the Palestinian cause. But moral leadership means nothing if it evaporates the moment principles become politically inconvenient.

And that is what happened here.

When Indonesian citizens were detained by a foreign military in international waters, Indonesia’s foreign minister did not rise to defend them with clarity or conviction.

He rose to defend the terminology preferred by their captors.

OPINION: Indonesia must respond more forcefully to Israel’s detention of its journalists at sea

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.