Nusa Dua, The Indonesia Post – Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the evacuation of Indonesian citizens (WNI) from Palestine would be carried out when the situation on the ground was safe.
“We already have the data (number of Indonesian citizens), evacuation plans are also in place, it’s just that the situation doesn’t allow for movement,” said Retno when met on the sidelines of the AIS Forum Summit in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Wednesday.
Retno said she had asked for support from the International Red Cross (ICRC) to help evacuate Indonesian citizens from the Gaza Strip in Palestine – which is the main target of Israeli military air strikes.
The Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs has intensively communicated intensively with various parties, including the ICRC, to ensure the security and safety of Indonesian citizens.
“Because the main priority is to evacuate Indonesian citizens safely,” he said.
Apart from the ICRC, Foreign Minister Retno has also made contact with Brazil as the current President of the UN Security Council, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), as well as with the Philippines – which has an embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian embassies in Amman, Beirut and Cairo are on full alert to monitor developments in the situation in the conflict areas and to ensure protection for affected Indonesian citizens.
The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Indonesia is currently preparing a contingency plan for the evacuation of Indonesian citizens with several situation scenarios.
This scenario includes the possibility of evacuating Indonesian citizens through countries closest to Palestine, namely Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt.
“Currently the government, through the Indonesian Embassy in Amman, the Indonesian Embassy in Beirut, and the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo, is coordinating with various parties to evacuate Indonesian citizens who are in the Palestinian territory, especially 10 Indonesian citizens who are in the Gaza Strip,” said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lalu Muhammad Iqbal on Tuesday (10 /10).
Based on data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, currently 45 Indonesian citizens are recorded in Palestine, with 10 of them in the Gaza Strip.
Apart from these dozens of Indonesian citizens, there are also 230 Indonesian citizens who are carrying out religious tourism at various points in Israel and to date there have been no reports of Indonesian citizens becoming victims. (mhn/bbs)
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