JakartaPost/Reuters-Jan 20
The government has never heard of a proposal suggesting that United States president-elect Donald Trump might relocate some Palestinians in Gaza to Indonesia, the Foreign Ministry in Jakarta said on Monday, as the long-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas takes effect. In a report published on Sunday, New York-based NBC News quoted an unnamed official at the Trump transition team who claimed that the team is exploring the idea of temporarily relocating some 2 million Palestinians for the post-war reconstruction of Gaza, with Indonesia named as a potential host country. Some Jewish news outlets and a news aggregator picked up the report. “The Indonesian government has never received any information regarding this matter,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Rolliansyah “Roy” Soemirat said in a statement on Monday. Indonesia is a fervent supporter of the Palestinian cause, and intensified diplomatic efforts over the past year to help secure a truce and achieve lasting peace. Read also: Indonesia welcomes Gaza ceasefire deal, urges reconstruction Reports of the possible relocation came around the time that the truce between Israeli forces and Hamas in Gaza came into effect on Sunday, which was marked by the release of three Israeli hostages from Gaza and 90 Palestinians from Israeli jails in return. 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 only be negotiated on the 16th day of a successful phase one. The third phase, meanwhile, has been projected to include the return of remains of the dead and Gaza’s reconstruction supervised by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations, Reuters reported. Read more at:
https://www.thejakartapost.com/world/2025/01/20/jakarta-never-heard-of-trumps-plan-to-relocate-gazans-to-indonesia.html.
