Indonesia is ready to shelter temporarily, Palestinians affected by the war in Gaza, the country’s president said yesterday, as he began a diplomatic tour to the Middle East and Turkey.
Speaking to the press, Prabowo Subianto said that he has instructed his foreign affairs minister, Sugiono, to discuss evacuation plans with the Palestinian authorities at once.
“We are ready to evacuate those who are injured or traumatized, and orphans, if they want to be evacuated to Indonesia, and we are ready to send planes to transport them,” Prabowo said, according to the Associated Press.
The Indonesian leader said that around 1,000 people could be accepted in the initial wave of evacuees, emphasizing that they would remain in Indonesia until they have fully recovered from their injuries and the situation in Gaza is safe for their return.
“Indonesia’s commitment in supporting the safety of Palestinians and their independence has pushed our government to act more actively,” Prabowo added.
Prabowo spoke before getting on a flight to Abu Dhabi, the first stop in a weeklong tour of the Middle East that also includes stops in Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, and Jordan. He stated that the purpose of the trip was to demonstrate Indonesia’s readiness to assist in easing the Gaza crisis, and that he would consult on the planned evacuations with those countries.
Indonesia, which does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, has expressed vocal support for the Palestinian cause since the beginning of the war and denounced Israel’s ruthless attacks on Gaza. In the immediate wake of the Hamas attacks that began the current conflict, it called for an “immediate end of violence” and said that “the root of the conflict, namely the occupation of the Palestinian territories by Israel, must be resolved, in accordance with the parameters agreed upon by the U.N.”
Indonesia has also expressed strong opposition to any permanent relocation of Palestinians out of Gaza, as implied by U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent proposal for the U.S. to take over the territory and turn it into a “Riviera of the Middle East.” After Trump aired the idea during an Oval Office meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry said that it “strongly rejects any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians.”
How this latter commitment squares with its willingness to temporarily house Palestinian refugees remains unclear. Given Israel’s increasingly aggressive approach toward “solving” the Gaza problem, which verges on open advocacy of ethnic cleansing, it is unclear when the territory might be safe enough to permit the evacuees to return, if at all.
Domestic political considerations, in particular, the widespread public support for the Palestinian cause, compel Prabowo to stand up for the people of Gaza in some way. Prior to taking office in October, Prabowo was willing to send peacekeeping troops to Gaza if needed. At the same time, given the situation in Gaza, it is not hard to imagine that a temporary situation could become a permanent one.
