Indonesia says no to hosting Gazans during reconstruction

The Indonesian government says it opposes any attempt to ‘depopulate Gaza … and perpetuate Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territories’.

A displaced Palestinian man walks amid the devastation upon his return to central Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect. Picture: AFP

The Indonesian government has shot down a Trump administration proposal to relocate Gazans from the war-torn strip to the Southeast Asia nation, and warning it would oppose any attempt to “depopulate Gaza … and perpetuate Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territories”.

The country’s foreign ministry issued a terse statement on Tuesday responding to weekend media reports citing comments from a Trump transition team member that the team was exploring relocating some of the two million Palestinian residents of Gaza during the post-war reconstruction, and that Indonesia was being considered as a host destination.

The comments were made in the wake of a long-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas on Sunday which saw three Israeli hostages released from Gaza and 90 Palestinians freed from Israeli jails.

Jakarta has long been a fervent supporter of the Palestinian cause, and has also been a vocal advocate for a truce and a lasting peace deal ever since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel triggered a ferocious response from the Israeli Defence Forces.

But the Prabowo administration wasted little time in hosing down suggestions it could agree to temporarily host tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of Palestinian refugees while the war-ravaged strip was rebuilt.

“The government has never received any information from anyone, nor any plans regarding the relocation of some of Gaza’s two million inhabitants to Indonesia as part of post-conflict reconstruction efforts,” the foreign ministry said in a statement released late on Monday.

“The government refrains from speculating on issues for which no information is available.

“Indonesia’s stance remains unequivocal: any attempt 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.”

The foreign ministry statement also calls for the ceasefire to serve as momentum for negotiations towards a two-state solution that abides by international law and internationally agreed ­parameters.

The three-stage ceasefire, aimed at ending more than 15 months of war in Gaza, was negotiated with the mediation of Qatar, Egypt and the US.

The first phase of the agreement will take place over a six-week period, during which more hostages are to be gradually ­released.

The second phase will be negotiated on the 16th day of a successful phase one while the third phase is expected to involve the return of remains of the dead and Gaza’s reconstruction supervised by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.