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Helping Israel? Indonesia’s island refuge plan for wounded Gazans raises concerns
Critics fear moving thousands of Gazans to Indonesia’s Galang Island could inadvertently support Israel’s plan to annex more territory
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Indonesia’s plan to fly thousands of wounded Palestinians from war-ravaged Gaza to a remote island hospital has drawn both praise and suspicion, with President Prabowo Subianto facing questions over whether the humanitarian mission could inadvertently aid Israel’s controversial vision for the strip’s future.
Hasan Nasbi, head of the presidential communications office, announced on Thursday last week that Prabowo intends to provide medical care for up to 2,000 Gazans most severely affected by the war. The patients, along with their families, would be relocated to Galang Island, part of Indonesia’s Riau province.
“The plan is to set up a treatment centre on Galang Island. Galang Island has a hospital and other supporting facilities that can treat approximately 2,000 Gazans. It will also accommodate families accompanying these war victims,” Hasan said.
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The figure is double that announced by Prabowo in April, reflecting the decision to allow family members to travel with the patients.
Galang Island, located about 33km (21 miles) southwest of the provincial capital Tanjungpinang and some 80km (50 miles) southeast of Singapore, has sheltered displaced people before. Between 1979 and 1996, it hosted more than 250,000 Vietnamese “boatpeople” before the camp closed as most refugees either returned home or resettled in third countries.
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