Indonesia says troops ready to join Gaza peacekeeping mission by June
Indonesia’s military says up to 8,000 troops are expected to be ready by the end of June to join a potential deployment to Gaza as part of a peacekeeping force under US President Donald Trump’s plan.
Army spokesperson Brigadier-General Donny Pramono said the Southeast Asian nation’s armed forces finalised a proposed troop structure and timeline.
“In principle we are ready to be assigned anywhere,” Pramono told The Associated Press. “Our troops are fully prepared and can be dispatched at short notice once the government gives formal approval.”
Throughout February, troops will undergo health checks and paperwork followed by a “force readiness review” at the end of the month, Pramono said.
About 1,000 personnel are expected to be ready to deploy as an advance team by April with the remainder by June. However, Pramono said being ready doesn’t mean soldiers will actually deploy as it still requires a political decision and depends on international mechanisms.
Indonesia – the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation – doesn’t have formal diplomatic relations with Israel and has long been a strong supporter of a two-state solution. It has been deeply involved in providing humanitarian aid to Gaza including funding a hospital.
African Union demands full UN membership for Palestine
African leaders have called for granting the State of Palestine full membership in the United Nations at the closing session of the African Union summit in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa.
The leaders said Palestinians have the “legitimate right” to self-determination and the end of Israeli occupation. The summit’s closing statement also condemned any attempts to forcibly displace the Palestinian population and warned of worsening conditions in Gaza.
During the summit, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa emphasised that the situation in the occupied West Bank mirrors the ongoing conditions in Gaza with Israeli forces continuing to “seize Palestinian lands, expand illegal colonies, and protect the actions of colonists who commit various forms of violence and destruction against the Palestinian people”, the Wafa news agency reported.
