JAKARTA: Jakarta was never involved in any discussion to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to Indonesia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday following reports that new US President Donald Trump’s team was considering the controversial move.
Before his inauguration on Monday, Trump and his transitional team had been discussing Israel’s war on Gaza and the recent ceasefire agreement, according to a report by NBC News.
Citing an anonymous source from Trump’s transition team, Indonesia was named as one of the locations considered for Palestinians to relocate to when rebuilding efforts began for the enclave.
However, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has refuted the report.
“The government of Indonesia has never received any information from anyone, nor any plans regarding the relocation of some of Gaza’s 2 million inhabitants to Indonesia as part of post-conflict reconstruction efforts,” Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Roy Soemirat said.
“Indonesia’s stance remains unequivocal: Any attempts to displace or remove Gaza’s residents is entirely unacceptable. Such efforts to depopulate Gaza would only serve to perpetuate the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory and align with broader strategies aimed at expelling Palestinians from Gaza.”
Indonesia is among the staunchest supporters of Palestine, with its government repeatedly calling for an end to Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and for a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders.
Since the beginning of Israel’s deadly invasion of Gaza in October 2023, Jakarta has also been vocal on the international stage, demanding an end to military support and weapons sales to Tel Aviv.
As the first phase of a long-awaited ceasefire began on Sunday, Indonesia’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Arrmanatha Nasir said the UN Security Council “must safeguard the agreement” to ensure that every part of the three-phase agreement is upheld.
“The ceasefire is a vital first step towards attaining peace in the Middle East,” Nasir said during a UN Security Council open debate in New York on Monday.
After the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, Nasir said the international community must address the immediate humanitarian needs and work toward a “just and comprehensive political plan” with a two-state solution at its core.
“Any other alternative will only lead to apartheid and subjugation. That is why the international community must unite to foster genuine dialogue and negotiation that addresses the root cause of colonialism and historical injustices in Palestine including the right of return of the Palestinian refugees.”
After 15 months, the war on Gaza has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians and led the International Court of Justice to consider genocide claims against Israel.
However, a study published this month by medical journal The Lancet shows that the real death toll in Gaza during the first nine months — when the number stood at around 37,000 – of Israel’s deadly invasion was about 40 percent higher than recorded by the enclave’s Health Ministry.
