Condemnation of US-Israel aggression against Iran; Unpad Professors' Council urges Indonesian government to take a firm stance on the BoP
Indonesia’s entry into the Board of Peace (BoP), a construct of US President Donald Trump, has again drawn scrutiny from academics. The Padjadjaran University Professors Council has issued the ‘Padjadjaran Appeal’ to professors and the academic community of Unpad to scrutinise critically the Board of Peace (BoP), the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) and Israel’s aggression against Iran, for the sake of sovereignty and Indonesia’s national interests.
In a written statement, on Saturday (7 March 2026), the Unpad Professors’ Council stressed that Indonesia’s position in diplomacy and its free and active foreign policy is facing a heavy test amid dynamics ranging from President Prabowo Subianto’s decision to join the BoP to the signing of the ART whose substance is highly detrimental to Indonesia. The world situation has also heated up following the military aggression by the US and Israel against Iran.
The opening of the 1945 Constitution places Indonesia in a firm position regarding the principles of foreign policy: ‘That freedom of independence is the right of all nations and therefore colonialism in the world must be abolished, because it is not in line with humanity and justice’, followed by one of the country’s goals in Paragraph Four: ‘… to participate in realising a world order based on independence, lasting peace and social justice …’.
According to the Padjadjaran Professors Council, the meaning of bebas aktif (active independence) means Indonesia is free to determine its position and diplomatic steps in accordance with national interests, not that it should not take a stance when realities of human rights violations or injustices occur. A foreign policy that is active requires a consistent alignment with humanitarian values and a bias toward protecting human dignity and restoring justice.
Therefore, the Padjadjaran Professors Council delivered a strong condemnation of the military action undertaken by Israel, with the assistance of the United States, against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“An attack on a sovereign country is an extreme escalation that breaches International Law, threatens regional stability, and increases the risk of broader regional conflict. If such practices are allowed to continue, the rule-based international order will lose its moral and legal legitimacy,” the Unpad Professors Council’s statement, signed by its chair Prof Atwar Bajari, read.