KN. Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto meet President Jokowi at the State Palace to report the results of his trip to Singapore while attending the Shangri-La Dialogue, highlighting global security issues including Palestine and Ukraine. After the meeting, Prabowo said President Jokowi plans to send medical workers to war-torn Gaza and set up a makeshift field hospital to help Palestinians injured by the ongoing Israeli military campaign.
Prabowo also said Indonesia will collaborate with countries in the Middle East, most notably the United Arab Emirates, in providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza residents. Prabowo has also received a mandate from President Jokowi to attend a meeting in Jordan to discuss the current conditions and situation in Gaza and pay a visit to Saudi Arabia.
National Military (TNI) Commander General Agus Subiyanto after attending a working meeting with House Commission I said that he would prepare a brigade comprising four battalions as peacekeeping forces for Gaza, Palestine.
The troops will be deployed if Indonesia receives a mandate from the United Nations, he said. The military is preparing two hospital ships for the peace mission, namely KRI Rajiman and KRI Suharso, to treat people affected by the conflict.
In a discussion “Road to Platinum Jubilee” to commemorate the 70th of Asian African Conference (KAA) in Jakarta, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi invited Asian African countries to strengthen partnerships in humanitarian matters.
She emphasized that the founding fathers of Asian-African countries had planted the idea of partnerships among the countries. Now, she said there were three things of Asia-Africa cooperation; first, to ensure the roots of global justice and humanity, to increase inclusivity, and to grow solidarity. She mentioned that there was unpaid debt to the global community, the Palestinian independence.
Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi during a working meeting with House Commission I outlined Indonesia’s priorities in supporting the Palestinian cause: an immediate and permanent ceasefire; humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people and support for UNRWA; and for all parties to adhere to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) decisions.
Indonesia will also prioritize efforts to encourage countries to recognize Palestine’s sovereignty, advocate for Palestine’s U.N. full membership status, and support the two-state solution.
Indonesia strongly condemns the labelling of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) as a terrorist organization by Israel. FM Marsudi called out a “systematic” Israeli effort to weaken UNRWA by accusing its staff of being involved in the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, causing several donor countries to freeze their support.
“After unproven accusations, several countries have revived their assistance to UNRWA, but the United States has decided to stop its assistance to UNRWA,” Retno highlighted.
Foreign Ministry’s director general for Asia-Pacific and Africa Abdul Kadir Jailani said Israel’s rejection of the two-state solution is a major hindrance. He refuted any relevance between the two-state solution and any attempts from Indonesia’s side to “normalize” diplomatic relations with Israel.