SBY says a US-Israel war with Iran could re-run the Gaza humanitarian tragedy

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The 6th President of the Republic of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) stated that a war between the United States and Israel, with Iran, could trigger humanitarian tragedies similar to those seen in Gaza, Palestine, if not contained. He made the remark while responding to the prospect of a prolonged conflict ending in humanitarian catastrophe, on his SBY Standpoint programme on his personal YouTube channel, as quoted on Wednesday 4 March 2026. “It could be (like Gaza). Look, if we look at what is happening across the world, and now our main focus is on the Middle East,” said SBY. “There have been fundamental and unprecedented changes; they have not occurred in the world in recent times,” said SBY. SBY says the current world order is undergoing fundamental change. “I think it is no longer a secret; countries prioritise their own interests, country first. More nationalistic, and some have become ultra-nationalist, not wanting to participate in a multilateral order, preferring to push ahead on their own, unilateral, and in the end the strong countries, sorry to say, seem able to dictate whatever they want, regardless of whether the consequences are good or bad,” he said. According to SBY, these changes leave the global order that has prevailed for decades without a clear replacement. He also highlighted the weakening role of the United Nations (UN) and the flouting of international law by the great powers. “We have to understand there is a change; a replacement for the order that has prevailed for decades has not yet appeared. The UN is weak now, international law is also not observed, so it seems anything goes. Especially if those doing it are the strong, great powers, for example, countries with veto rights,” he said. “So, what we can see when conflicts occur, again in the Middle East, in Gaza recently. In my view, although Israel was attacked at the outset and the casualties were considerable, the next phase by Israel, in my view, crossed the line. Too much and too far. It seems not to heed the laws of war, the international humanitarian law,” said SBY. He warned that if world leaders do not speak out and allow the warring parties to act without restraint, a Gaza-like humanitarian catastrophe could recur. “In that context, if not warned, world leaders do not speak out, it is up to those currently at war, then the Gaza humanitarian tragedy—many lives lost, thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of innocent bystanders, non-combatants—extreme human suffering, could occur. Because the rules, ethics, and the laws of war are no longer observed,” said SBY.