This week, Indonesia joined Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates in condemning Israel’s decision to designate large areas of the occupied West Bank as so-called state land. The joint statement called it a serious escalation. It cited violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention, United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 and the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice.

The details matter. Israeli media reported that the proposal came from Defense Minister Israel Katz, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Justice Minister Yariv Levin. Smotrich described it as a continuation of a settlement revolution to control all the land. Levin spoke of strengthening Israel’s grip on all its territories. The plan allows the state to claim most of the West Bank as state property when Palestinians cannot prove ownership. It revives land registration procedures frozen since 1967.

This is not routine settlement expansion. It is administrative annexation.

Indonesia condemned it. At the same time, it sustains a contradictory course.

In the same week, Foreign Minister Sugiono met Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian permanent observer to the United Nations, in New York. He attended discussions ahead of the Security Council session on the Middle East. He met Secretary General Antonio Guterres. He reiterated Indonesia’s commitment to a two-state solution. He announced President Prabowo Subianto’s participation in the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington.

One is too many: Indonesia must act now on........

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