Indonesia govt denies knowledge of Trump plan for it to host Palestinians from Gaza

January 20, 2025, 06:51 PM

The Indonesian government has denied knowledge of media reports claiming that the country is "under discussions" to serve as a temporary host country for Palestinians while Gaza rebuilds, as part of President-elect Donald Trump's plan.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Roy Soemirat, said it was the first time Jakarta had even heard of such a plan, Jakarta Globe reported.

The ceasefire deal

NBC News interviewed an unnamed source within Trump's transition team who shared about Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff's plans to keep the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas on track.

The main framework of the ceasefire revolves around a three-phase deal.

The first phase, involving the release of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinians held by Israel, began on Sunday and will last about six weeks.

The second phase involved the release of all remaining hostages and an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners. This phase also includes a full Israeli withdrawal from all of Gaza.

Indonesia discussed as possible host

The third and last phase includes a five-year reconstruction plan for Gaza.

However, questions remain on how to rebuild Gaza and where the Palestinian residents should be relocated during the rebuilding process.

According to the unnamed Trump official cited by NBC, Indonesia is among the locations discussed for where some of the Palestinians could go in the meantime.

Rebuilding Gaza

Following the ceasefire deal, Indonesia's Foreign Affairs Minister Sugiono pledged support for Gaza's reconstruction efforts.

However, MFA spokesperson Roy told the press that "the Indonesian government has never received any information regarding this (relocation plans)".

It was the "first time" the Indonesian government had heard of such a plan, according to Roy.

But whether the Palestinians in Gaza would even be willing to relocate in the first place remains uncertain.

The idea remains controversial in the Palestinian and Arab communities, according to NBC, with many viewing relocation as a "first step" for Israel to force them out of their land.