- Indonesia tripled its contributions to UNRWA in December and has dispatched several aid shipments to Gaza.
- Indonesia is ready to contribute to efforts aimed at achieving an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
- After his meetings in Jordan, Subianto is scheduled to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah.
On Tuesday, Subianto, who currently serves as Indonesia's defense minister before assuming the top office in October, attended an international aid conference on Gaza in Jordan. There, he emphasized the need to address the "humanitarian catastrophe" in the besieged strip immediately.
The Ministry of Defense statement quoted him as saying, "Indonesia is willing and ready to contribute to all efforts to lessen the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Palestine, and we hope to work together with countries in the region."
During the conference, co-hosted by King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Subianto asserted that "stronger support for an independent and sovereign Palestine" represented the real solution to Israel’s war on Gaza, resulting in the deaths of more than 37,000 Palestinians since October.
“We will significantly increase our contributions to UNRWA and other immediate humanitarian assistance. "We are ready to deploy more medical teams and a field hospital to operate in Gaza," Subianto stated, adding that Indonesia was also prepared to deploy its hospital ship and assist in humanitarian airdrops.
In December, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi announced that Indonesia would triple its contributions to UNRWA. The Southeast Asian nation has also dispatched several aid shipments to Gaza.
Jakarta, which does not have diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv, has been one of the most vocal supporters of Palestine since the start of Israel’s onslaught on Gaza. It views Palestinian statehood as mandated by its constitution, which advocates for the abolition of colonialism.
Subianto also expressed Indonesia's willingness to evacuate 1,000 patients for treatment in Indonesian hospitals, as well as to accommodate children and orphans for post-trauma treatment and schooling, with plans to return them all to Gaza once it was safe to do so.
“Although we are willing to support and contribute to all these efforts, the … final solution to this problem is a two-state solution,” he told the conference.
During a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Subianto expressed that Indonesia was "ready to contribute" to all efforts aimed at achieving an immediate ceasefire.
Last week, US President Joe Biden outlined what he termed a "three-phase" Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, which would entail negotiations for a permanent ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave, as well as an exchange of some Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
Qatar and Egypt are currently leading mediation efforts for the plan, which the UN Security Council has since adopted as a resolution.
“Indonesia is ready to work with the US, Egypt, and Qatar to ensure that negotiations continue to achieve a permanent ceasefire and a just and lasting peace in Palestine,” Subianto told Blinken.
“An immediate, full, and comprehensive ceasefire is essential to revive the peace process.”
After his meetings in Jordan, Subianto traveled to Jeddah, where he is scheduled to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
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