TNI Soldier Falls Again in Lebanon, MPR Urges UN to Sanction Israel
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Hidayat Nur Wahid (HNW) has urged the United Nations to impose harsh sanctions on Israel following the death of another TNI soldier in a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.
“The UN should impose sanctions on Israel, which has been reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UN Secretariat as the perpetrator of the attack that killed four TNI soldiers and injured four others,” HNW said in a statement received in Jakarta on Monday.
According to him, Israel has clearly violated international law regarding the prohibition on attacking non-combatants and UN personnel, as stipulated in the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the 1994 Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel.
He even assessed that the action falls into the category of war crimes as regulated in the Rome Statute. Because, according to HNW, the TNI soldiers who fell due to the Israeli attack were present in Lebanon on a peacekeeping mission and had full UN mandate.
“Therefore, the UN should be responsible for providing maximum protection and imposing harsh sanctions on Israel for attacking UN peacekeeping forces, in order to deliver justice and peace for the victims, their families, and the country,” he stated.
He said that Israel’s attack on the peacekeeping post guarded by TNI soldiers is not the first time it has occurred. In 2024, several TNI soldiers serving as peacekeeping forces in Lebanon also became victims of Israeli attacks.
“At that time, there were no sanctions whatsoever from the UN. As a result of no sanctions, Israel was free to continue its crimes. Now, that Israeli attack has even caused fatalities,” he said.
According to HNW, it is entirely appropriate for the UN not only to condemn and conduct a thorough investigation but also to immediately act to save its honour by imposing harsh sanctions on Israel.
HNW fully supports the steps taken by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in coordinating with several countries to urge the UN to conduct a thorough, transparent, and accountable investigation into the case.
“This step by the Foreign Ministry is indeed supported, but we hope there will be follow-up action, namely the imposition of heavy sanctions on Israel, the perpetrator of the war crime,” he said.
On the other hand, he called on the Indonesian government to evaluate the deployment of TNI soldiers in UN peacekeeping missions, especially if there is no security guarantee. This is seen as aligned with the constitutional mandate to protect citizens.
“The constitution not only mentions participation in bringing world peace, such as in Lebanon, but also protecting all Indonesian citizens, including TNI members in UNIFIL. Therefore, if there is no security guarantee and if the perpetrators who kill Indonesian citizens, especially from the TNI, are not imposed with harsh legal sanctions, Indonesia should consider withdrawing its TNI troops,” he stated.
It is known that Head Corporal (Praka) Rico Pramudia passed away after being treated for serious injuries from an attack in southern Lebanon at the end of March. This news was announced by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Friday (24/4).
“UNIFIL is saddened by the death of Corporal Rico Pramudia, who was seriously injured due to a projectile explosion at its headquarters in Adchit Al Qusayr on the night of 29 March,” UNIFIL said in its statement on platform X.
With the death of Corporal Rico, Indonesia has now lost four TNI soldiers while serving with UNIFIL in southern Lebanon in the past month.
The TNI soldiers who previously fell were Corporal Farizal Rhomadhon, who died due to artillery attack on 29 March in the same incident that initially injured Corporal Rico.
Then on 30 March, two TNI personnel, namely Captain Inf Zulmi Aditya Iskandar and Staff Sergeant Muhammad Nur Ikhwan, fell while escorting a convoy that was attacked.