Indonesian Defense Minister and Jordanian King Discuss Humanitarian Aid Expansion for Palestinians

Amman, The Gulf Observer: Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and Jordanian King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein met to discuss expanding humanitarian aid delivery to Palestinians in the West Bank. The discussions followed their participation in a summit on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, held in Amman.

Brigadier General Edwin Adrian Sumantha, head of the Indonesian Defense Ministry’s public relations bureau, stated that the meeting addressed the dire situation in the West Bank, which has also been impacted by Israeli actions in Gaza. The leaders considered the possibility of resuming aid air drops to Gaza.

“Indonesia is willing and ready to contribute to all efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people, and we hope to work together with countries in the region,” Prabowo said.

Previously, on April 9, Indonesia and Jordan coordinated an air-drop mission to deliver aid to Gaza using a C-130 J Super Hercules aircraft from the Indonesian Air Force. The operation deployed 900 human air umbrellas (PUO) and 50 goods air umbrellas (PUB) containing humanitarian aid packages for the Palestinian people.

Sumantha highlighted the challenges of obtaining flight permits for Gaza airspace, which must be authorized by Israeli authorities. Due to the absence of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Israel, cooperation with Jordan, which has diplomatic ties with both Israel and Palestine, is crucial.

Indonesia is the second Southeast Asian country, after Singapore, to deploy aerial aid directly to Gaza.

During the summit, Prabowo articulated Indonesia’s Gaza stance with four key commitments:

1. Increasing financial support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
2. Readiness to send additional medical personnel, build a field hospital, deploy a hospital aid ship, and conduct further aid air drops to Gaza if required.
3. Treating up to one thousand patients from Gaza in Indonesia and ensuring their return home once conditions stabilize.
4. Providing post-traumatic care to children affected by the aggression in Gaza, facilitating their education, and arranging their return when the situation normalizes.

Prabowo’s visit to Amman on June 10 underscores Indonesia’s dedication to supporting humanitarian efforts and enhancing cooperation with regional partners to address the ongoing crisis in Gaza and the West Bank.