The government is helping Indonesian associations send humanitarian aid to Gaza’s civilian population. Meanwhile, diplomatic tensions are rising between the Southeast Asian country and Israel.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has announced that Indonesia will soon send 5.5 tonnes of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians most affected by the war between Israel and Hamas.
The shipment of basic necessities, including medical devices, blankets and tents, will be carried by two Indonesian Air Force C-130 planes and a commercial charter flight to Egypt's El Arish airport before heading to the Rafah crossing with Gaza.
According to the president, this humanitarian aid comes from various organisations, like the Indonesian Red Cross, the Indonesian Humanitarian Forum, and others.
“This is the nation’s first humanitarian mission for those Palestinians affected by the war as a show of our country’s compassion with the human tragedy in Gaza. Such a tragedy is not acceptable and our administration will cooperate (with other parties) to struggle for the independence of a Palestinian state,” President Jokowi said.
Indonesia will transfer the aid to Egypt’s Red Crescent to be delivered to Gaza by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), both of which operate in Gaza.
Indonesia's Defence Minister, General (ret) Prabowo Subianto, also announced that the government would try to send a hospital ship off Gaza if it gets the greenlight from Cairo.
Although Indonesia and Israel do not have official diplomatic relations, thousands of Indonesians travel to the Holy Land on spiritual trips, holidays, and business. Their travel documents are provided by Israel’s embassy in Singapore.
At the same time, Jakarta has always supported Palestinian ambitions for an independent state. Last March, Indonesian authorities formally denied Israeli football players entry to Bali for an U-20 international football match.
As a result, the government has been accused of being "sectarian". Such a discriminatory act is due mostly to "misperceptions" among Indonesian Islamic extremists who believe that the decades-long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is caused by the different religions of the two peoples.