Indonesian president says country willing to temporarily house Gaza residents, seeks increased role in resolving conflict

The Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced on Wednesday that his country is willing to provide temporary shelter for Gaza residents affected by the ongoing war. 

The Indonesian president said he instructed his foreign minister to begin discussions with the Palestinian side, along with other parties, to begin the process of evacuating Palestinians from Gaza. 

“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," Subianto said. 

He also said the country is ready to evacuate a group of around 1,000 immediately, clarifying that the stay was temporary, until the Palestinians had recovered from injuries and the situation in Gaza is safe enough for their return. 

Subianto’s remarks came before boarding a flight to Abu Dhabi, as part of a weeklong Middle East tour, which will include stops in Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar. The president noted that he would also discuss the issue of receiving Palestinian evacuees with those countries. 

Subianto also acknowledged the request of other countries for the world's most populous Muslim country to assume a greater role in resolving the conflict in Gaza. 

“Indonesia’s commitment to supporting the safety of Palestinians and their independence has pushed our government to act more actively,” the president stated. 

“This is something complicated; it's not easy, but I think it encourages the Indonesian government to play a more active role,” Subianto said. 

Indonesia has long advocated a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and has provided humanitarian aid to Gaza since the start of the Oct. 7, 2023, war. 

The president’s comments come just two weeks after the country’s foreign ministry rejected the proposal of U.S. President Donald Trump to evacuate the population of Gaza ahead of an extensive rebuilding project, followed by U.S. ownership of the enclave. 

The Indonesian foreign ministry said it “strongly rejects any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians.” 

In March, Hebrew media reported that Israel had begun back-channel discussions with Indonesia, with which it has no official relations, regarding the country’s willingness to receive some Palestinians from Gaza.

According to those reports, the country expressed a willingness to begin a pilot program to bring several Palestinian workers to Indonesia, along with their families to help in several infrastructure construction projects. Those reports also clarified that the Palestinian workers and their families would maintain their right to return to Gaza following the end of the work project. 

While that plan has not yet been implemented, this and President Subianto’s comments indicate a willingness to implement concrete steps towards helping the Palestinian residents of war-torn Gaza. 

Despite strong statements of support by Arab and Muslim countries for the Palestinians, practically none of the countries have expressed a willingness to receive evacuees. 

Even the so-called Arab proposal, put forward by Egypt last month as an alternative to the Trump proposal, called for keeping the population of Gaza in the destroyed enclave while it is being rebuilt.

Both Israel and the U.S. argue this is unrealistic, due to the level of destruction and the presence of unexploded ordnance among the rubble. Israel has also cited the need to dismantle Hamas’ underground terror infrastructure as necessitating a long, difficult rebuilding process. 

Since announcing the Trump proposal, the U.S. has done little to implement it, appearing to focus more on bringing Israel and Hamas back to the negotiating table.

A report in Arab media on Monday evening claimed that Egypt had offered a new proposal attempting to bridge the gaps between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli government has not officially acknowledged receiving the proposal.