Not an Ordinary Incident! Israel's Attack Deemed to Threaten World Peace

The Israeli military attack in southern Lebanon that killed three Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) personnel on a United Nations peacekeeping mission has been described as a serious violation of international law. Human rights researcher and security sector reform expert from the SETARA Institute, Merisa Dwi Juanita, assessed the incident as not only impacting Indonesia but also threatening the credibility of global peacekeeping mechanisms. The three fallen soldiers were part of the TNI Yonmek Engineering Task Force Konga XXIII-S deployed under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). In addition to the fatalities, several other personnel were reported to have sustained serious injuries. Amid the grief, sharp criticism has been directed at Israel’s military actions. According to Merisa, the attack cannot be viewed as a mere incident in a conflict zone but rather as a breach of agreed international norms. “The attack by Israeli military forces violates the principle of protecting peacekeeping personnel as stipulated in the 1949 Geneva Conventions, contravenes UN Security Council Resolution 1701 of 2006, and threatens world peace by eroding trust in the global mechanisms of civilised nations,” she stated, as quoted from her remarks on Wednesday (1/4). She emphasised that attacks on peacekeeping forces could undermine the UN mission’s mandate and disrupt regional stability. Therefore, the UN is urged to take firm steps, from thorough investigations to imposing sanctions on those responsible. In addition to demanding global accountability, the event is seen as an alarm for the Indonesian government and TNI to evaluate personnel protection systems in high-risk conflict areas. Reviewing engagement rules, strengthening risk mitigation, and preparing for emergency evacuations are cited as urgent measures. Merisa stated that the safety of personnel must be the top priority in every international mission undertaken by Indonesia. “The security and safety of our personnel must be placed as the utmost priority,” she said.