Some Indonesian citizens have left Israel-Palestine, evacuation from Gaza is still difficult

Of the 133 Indonesian citizens in Israel and the West Bank, only four said they wanted to be evacuated. The government cannot force evacuation.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. The original article can be found in Sebagian WNI Sudah Keluar Dari Israel-Palestina, Evakuasi Dari Gaza Masih Sulit

AFP/MOHAMMED ABED

Women fled on the streets of Gaza Strip on Wednesday (11/10/2023).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS-The majority of Indonesian citizens who want to be evacuated from Palestine and Israel have left the two countries. Evacuation is carried out in stages according to field conditions.

On Friday (13/10/2023), the Indonesian Embassy in Amman, Jordan evacuated 4 Indonesian citizens from Tel Aviv. They will be brought to Jordan. "Currently, they are already in Jordan," said Director of Indonesian Citizen Protection at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Judha Nugraha.

Based on data from October 12 2023, a total of 143 Indonesian citizens live in Israel-Palestine. Apart from that, there are 35 Indonesian citizens currently traveling to Israel-Palestine. Travelers are scheduled to leave Israel-Palestine this Saturday.

Out of the 143 Indonesian nationals, 10 are located in Gaza and are the focus of evacuation efforts. As for the 133 Indonesian nationals in Israel and the West Bank, only four individuals have expressed a desire to be evacuated by the government. Please note that the forbidden words PBB, PKS, and PPP are not present in this article.

Also read Israel Ultimatum Citizens to Leave Gaza City, Ground Attacks Getting Closer

Despite providing evacuation assistance, the government cannot force Indonesian citizens to leave areas deemed as dangerous. In previous evacuation efforts, such as in Ukraine and Sudan, some citizens chose to stay and not join the evacuation group.

"The state's job is to facilitate but it still has to be with consent (approval). The state cannot force it. Our job is to provide information from a security perspective," said Judha.

Regarding the evacuation from Gaza, he confirmed that it is the most challenging effort. This is because Israel continues to surround, bombard, and cut off access to water, electricity, and food there. The plan is for Indonesian citizens in Gaza to be evacuated by land to Cairo, Egypt or Amman. There is also a plan for evacuation by commercial aircraft.

Kompas

Both Israel and Hamas are ignoring calls to stop the war.

The government continues to monitor the situation in Gaza. One of the things being monitored is the issue of establishing a humanitarian corridor. The corridor is expected to be one of the evacuation routes from Gaza. Indonesian citizens in Gaza are advised to remain vigilant.

This is due to the fundamental principle of evacuation which is to prioritize safety. The evacuation route must be thoroughly secured before the evacuation group passes through it. The government does not want to bring the group of evacuated Indonesian citizens through a battlefield.

Spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lalu M Iqbal, stated that the main duty of the country is to provide travel security advice and facilitate evacuations. The government's efforts in the current situation are to move Indonesian citizens from unsafe locations to the nearest safe locations.

"So not directly to Indonesia, but from Israel to Jordan. We are assisting by speaking with the governments of Egypt and Jordan to ensure that they can enter at the borders," he said.

Also read Without Humanitarian Routes, Gaza Civilians are "Just Waiting for Time"

Judha stated that it is possible that the evacuation from Gaza may only be able to be done once a humanitarian corridor is established. Therefore, the provision of this corridor has become the focus of the government's diplomacy.

The humanitarian corridor referred to is a pause or ceasefire to allow for the evacuation of people and the delivery of aid and food. This humanitarian corridor is considered vital because in order to address the issues there, all violence must be stopped first. (IRE)