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Jakarta: Indonesia has called on Australia, Japan and South Korea to recognize Palestine, a move Jakarta says will be a “game-changer” to achieve peace in the Middle East.

Indonesia has long been a staunch supporter of the Palestinians, who were among the first to recognize Indonesia’s independence from Dutch colonial rule in 1945. The population and government view Palestinian statehood as mandated by their own constitution, which calls for the abolition of colonialism.

During the recent Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Vientiane, Laos, which included meetings with leaders of West and East Asia, Vice President Ma’ruf Amin raised the issue of Israel’s occupation of Palestine.

“The vice president brought forward the message of Palestine at almost every meeting,” Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in a recorded press statement.

“But particularly in meetings with South Korea, Japan and Australia, the vice president urged them to recognize Palestine as soon as possible.”

As of June this year, the State of Palestine has been recognized by 146 countries around the world, representing about 75 percent of all UN member states.

While most countries in Asia, the Middle East and Africa recognize Palestinian statehood, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan and South Korea are among those that do not.

“Indonesia has repeatedly called on all countries that have not yet recognized Palestine to do so. “We believe that this step will fundamentally change the peace process specifically for Palestine and also in the Middle East,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Roy Soemirat told Arab News on Sunday.

“We believe that with recognition, Palestine will have a stronger negotiating position vis-à-vis Israel, as both countries are widely recognized by the international community.”

More than a year since Israel began its war on Gaza, its military has killed at least 42,000 people and injured over 97,000. It is feared that the actual death toll is much higher. The medical journal The Lancet estimates it could be over 186,000 in July.

“It is only right that all countries act to prevent further loss of life,” Soemirat said. “For Indonesia, it is high time for these countries to recognize Palestine. Any further delay will result in Israel continuing its violent attacks.”