JakartaPost-Feb 13, 2025
Amid a proposal from United States President Donald Trump to relocate the Gaza Strip’s population to nearby countries, Indonesia and Turkey have reaffirmed their support for an independent and sovereign Palestine, maintaining that the two-state solution is the only feasible path to peace in the Middle East. It was “not possible” for any Middle Eastern countries to achieve stability until Palestinians found peace, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday after a meeting with President Prabowo Subianto, adding that Ankara was eager to cooperate with Jakarta to rebuild Gaza and advance the Palestinian cause. His visit to Indonesia marked the 75th year of Indonesia-Turkey relations. Despite the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas agreed to earlier this year, the prospect of lasting peace for Gaza’s 2 million residents seems tenuous, particularly after Donald Trump’s statement about his plans to take control of Gaza and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East” by permanently relocating its population. The statement suggesting US ownership of Gaza sent shockwaves around the globe, sparking worldwide condemnation and pushing several countries, including Turkey, a rising regional power in the Middle East, to intensify its international efforts to campaign for the Palestinian cause. Following his meeting with Prabowo, where bilateral issues such as economic and defense cooperation were also reportedly discussed, Erdogan said he would “continue to work with Indonesia in rebuilding Gaza and defending the Palestinian issue”. “Let me underline once again: The establishment of a sovereign, territorially integral state of Palestine, based on the 1967 borders, with East al-Quds as its capital, cannot be delayed any longer,” Erdogan said. Prabowo, on the other hand, underlined that the two leaders shared the same, longstanding view that the “solution for peace in Palestine is its independence through the two-state solution”. Read more at:
