Indonesia ‘strongly rejects’ Trump’s Gaza plan

Indonesia ‘strongly rejects’ Trump’s Gaza plan
Palestinians warm themselves by a fire inside a heavily damaged building at Saftawi street in Jabalia, in Gaza, on Feb. 5, 2025 during a ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
Short Url
Updated 05 February 2025
Follow

Indonesia ‘strongly rejects’ Trump’s Gaza plan

Indonesia ‘strongly rejects’ Trump’s Gaza plan
  • “Indonesia strongly rejects any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians or alter the demographic composition of the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the Foreign Ministry said
  • Jakarta also called on the international community to respect international law

JAKARTA: Indonesia “strongly rejects” the proposal made by President Donald Trump for the United States to assume control of Gaza and resettle Palestinians elsewhere, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
Trump announced the stunning proposal Tuesday, without detailing his plans on how to move out nearly two million Palestinians from the enclave, claiming that the US will rebuild the territory and turn it into the “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, has consistently called for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“Indonesia strongly rejects any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians or alter the demographic composition of the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on social media X, formerly Twitter.
Jakarta also called on the international community to respect international law, “particularly the right to self-determination of the Palestinians as well as their inalienable right to return to their homeland,” the ministry added.
Trump claimed there was support from the “highest leadership” in the Middle East and upped pressure on Egypt and Jordan to take displaced Palestinians — despite both countries flatly rejecting the idea.
Jakarta said addressing the “root cause” of the conflict, namely “the illegal and prolonged Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory,” was the only path to achieve a lasting peace in the region, the statement added.


340 Alawite civilians killed by Syrian security forces, allies: monitor

340 Alawite civilians killed by Syrian security forces, allies: monitor
Updated 18 sec ago
Follow

340 Alawite civilians killed by Syrian security forces, allies: monitor

340 Alawite civilians killed by Syrian security forces, allies: monitor
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Saturday that “340 Alawite civilians were killed in the coastal regions of Syria”
The Observatory indicated they were killed in “executions” carried out by security personnel or pro-government fighters and accompanied by “looting of homes and properties“

BEIRUT: A Syria war monitor reported on Saturday that more than 300 civilians from the Alawite minority have been killed in recent days by security forces and their allies, as authorities clash with militants loyal to the former government of Bashar Assad.
Restoring security has been one of the most complex tasks for Syria’s new authorities, installed after Islamist-led forces ousted Assad — himself an Alawite — in a lightning offensive in December.
They are now facing their fiercest attacks yet by members of the Assad clan’s Alawite minority and have launched a major counter-operation in the ethnic group’s Mediterranean heartland.
Deadly clashes on Thursday triggered the security operation, after previous tensions in the area.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Saturday that “340 Alawite civilians were killed in the coastal regions of Syria and the Latakia mountains by security forces and allied groups” since then.
The Observatory indicated they were killed in “executions” carried out by security personnel or pro-government fighters and accompanied by “looting of homes and properties.”
The civilian deaths bring the overall toll to 553 people, including 93 members of the new government’s security forces and 120 pro-Assad fighters, data from the Observatory shows.
The killings followed clashes sparked by the arrest of a wanted individual by security forces in a predominantly Alawite village, the Observatory reported.
The monitor said there had been a “relative return to calm” in the region on Saturday, but that security forces were continuing sweeping operations and deploying reinforcements.
Early on Saturday, state news agency SANA reported that the security forces had repelled an “attack by remnants of the ousted regime” on the national hospital in the coastal city of Latakia.
In an address on Friday, Syria’s interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa urged the insurgents to “lay down your weapons and surrender before it’s too late.”
Western powers and Syria’s neighbors have emphasized the need for unity in the new Syria, which is seeking funds for reconstructing a nation ravaged by years of civil war under Assad.
The coastal region has been gripped by fears of reprisals against Alawites for the Assad family’s brutal rule, which included widespread torture and disappearances.
The Britain-based Observatory has reported multiple “massacres” in recent days, with women and children among the dead.
“The vast majority of the victims were summarily executed by elements affiliated to the Ministry of Defense and the Interior,” the rights group said on Friday.
The Observatory and activists released footage showing dozens of bodies in civilian clothing piled outside a house, with blood stains nearby and women wailing.
Other videos appeared to show men in military garb shooting people at close range.
AFP could not independently verify the images.
The United Nations envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, decried “very troubling reports of civilian casualties.”
He called on all sides to refrain from actions which could “destabilize Syria, and jeopardize a credible and inclusive political transition.”
Aron Lund of the Century International think tank said the violence was “a bad omen.”
The new government lacks the tools, incentives and local base of support to engage with disgruntled Alawites, he said.
“All they have is repressive power, and a lot of that... is made up of militant zealots who think Alawites are enemies of God.”

Israel army says targeted Hezbollah militant in south Lebanon strike

Israel army says targeted Hezbollah militant in south Lebanon strike
Updated 20 min 22 sec ago
Follow

Israel army says targeted Hezbollah militant in south Lebanon strike

Israel army says targeted Hezbollah militant in south Lebanon strike

JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said it targeted a Hezbollah militant with an air strike in southern Lebanon on Saturday, a day after reporting it conducted attacks on military sites belonging to the Lebanese armed group.
“A short while ago, the IAF (air force) struck a Hezbollah terrorist who was engaged in re-establishing terrorist infrastructure and directing Hezbollah terror activities in southern Lebanon,” the military said in a statement.


France, Germany, Italy, Britain back Arab plan for Gaza reconstruction

France, Germany, Italy, Britain back Arab plan for Gaza reconstruction
Updated 08 March 2025
Follow

France, Germany, Italy, Britain back Arab plan for Gaza reconstruction

France, Germany, Italy, Britain back Arab plan for Gaza reconstruction

ROME: The foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy and Britain said on Saturday they supported an Arab-backed plan for the reconstruction of Gaza that would cost $53 billion and avoid displacing Palestinians from the enclave.
“The plan shows a realistic path to the reconstruction of Gaza and promises – if implemented – swift and sustainable improvement of the catastrophic living conditions for the Palestinians living in Gaza,” the ministers said in a joint statement.
The plan, which was drawn up by Egypt and adopted by Arab leaders earlier this month, has been rejected by US President Donald Trump.


Trump selects Michel Issa to be US ambassador to Lebanon

Trump selects Michel Issa to be US ambassador to Lebanon
Updated 08 March 2025
Follow

Trump selects Michel Issa to be US ambassador to Lebanon

Trump selects Michel Issa to be US ambassador to Lebanon

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Friday he had selected Michel Issa to be the US ambassador to Lebanon.
“Michel is an outstanding businessman, a financial expert, and a leader with a remarkable career in Banking, Entrepreneurship, and International Trade,” Trump said on Truth Social.


Freed Israeli hostages urge Netanyahu to implement Gaza deal ‘in full’

Freed Israeli hostages urge Netanyahu to implement Gaza deal ‘in full’
Updated 08 March 2025
Follow

Freed Israeli hostages urge Netanyahu to implement Gaza deal ‘in full’

Freed Israeli hostages urge Netanyahu to implement Gaza deal ‘in full’

JERUSALEM: More than 50 freed Israeli hostages urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fully implement the Gaza ceasefire deal and secure the release of those still held in the Palestinian territory.
“We who have experienced the inferno know that a return to war is life-threatening for those still left behind,” a group of 56 freed hostages said in a letter posted on the social media platform Instagram on Friday evening.
“Implement the agreement in full, in one single maneuver.”
Among those to sign the letter was Yarden Bibas, whose wife and two young sons died while held captive in Gaza.
Their plea came as Hamas released a video showing Israeli hostage Matan Angrest alive, footage that his family said had left them “shaken.”
In the footage, Angrest, who turned 22 in November, also calls on the Israeli authorities to implement the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
The first phase of the Gaza ceasefire ended on March 1 after six weeks of relative calm that included exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, though hostilities have not resumed.
While Israel has said it wants to extend the first phase until mid-April, Hamas has insisted on a transition to the second phase, which should lead to a permanent end to the war.
Of the 251 hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the 2023 attack on Israel, 58 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military has said are dead.
On Saturday, a high-level Hamas delegation is expected to hold talks with Egyptian officials over the second phase of the ceasefire, two senior Hamas officials told AFP the day before.
“The delegation will meet with Egyptian officials on Saturday to discuss the latest developments, assess progress in implementing the ceasefire agreement and address matters related to launching the second phase of the deal,” one official told AFP.
During its talks with Egyptian mediators, the Hamas delegation will demand that Israel “implement the agreement, begin negotiations for the second phase and open the border crossings to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip,” he said.
The Palestinian militant group wants a “comprehensive agreement that ensures a permanent and complete ceasefire,” the other official said.
He said Hamas’s demands for the second phase include a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, an end to the blockade, the reconstruction of the territory and financial support based on the decisions of this week’s Arab summit in Cairo.
He also said that Hamas was ready to “negotiate a prisoner exchange to release all Israeli prisoners including those with American citizenship.”