The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has questioned President Prabowo Subianto's plan to evacuate 1,000 residents of Gaza, Palestine, to Indonesia as the president departed on Wednesday, April 9, 2025 for a series of visits to the United Arab Emirates, Turkiye, Egypt, Qatar, and Jordan, as part of this evacuation plan.

"The question is why should Indonesia support Israel and the United States in this plan? Didn’t Israel and Donald Trump already express their desire to empty Gaza?" MUI Deputy Chairman Buya Anwar Abbas said as quoted in the Council’s official website on Wednesday.

The plan to evacuate Gazans as a relocation effort was earlier proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump as part of a Middle East peace proposal. However, many parties have opposed the plan, calling it a deceptive strategy for Israel’s occupation of Gaza.

According to Buya Anwar, if the plan is realized, Israel would have greater freedom to occupy and control Gaza. This would enable Israel to settle its citizens in the area, ultimately making Gaza part of a greater Israel.

A similar situation had occurred in Jerusalem, which was once controlled by Palestinians but is now occupied by Israel and has even been declared its capital.

"Learning from history, Indonesia must be smart in dealing with Israel’s maneuvers. We must not allow our country to be deceived," Buya Anwar warned.

He also highlighted that the five countries Prabowo plans to visit maintain good diplomatic relations with Israel and the United States. Turkiye has had diplomatic ties with Israel since 1949, Egypt since 1979, Jordan since 1994, the UAE since 2020, and while Qatar has no formal ties, it has engaged in unofficial trade with Israel since 1996.

"If Indonesia consults with these countries, it is already predictable what policy measures will follow," he added.

Buya Anwar urged Prabowo not to proceed with the plan to evacuate Gaza residents to Indonesia. He argued that if the relocation happened, Israel would never allow those evacuees to return to Gaza.

If medical aid is needed for Gaza residents affected by Israel’s recent attacks, Buya Anwar insisted that treatment and care should take place in Gaza, not elsewhere.

"As a nation that endured 350 years of colonization, we must recognize that occupiers have countless tricks and deceptions. We must not fall for their sweet words," he emphasized.

A delayed promise

Middle East analyst Faisal Assegaf criticized what he described as a delay in fulfilling promises made by Prabowo before and after taking office.

“Until now, President Prabowo has not carried out his promise to evacuate 1,000 patients from Gaza for treatment in Indonesian hospitals,” Assegaf said. “He made this commitment while still serving as Minister of Defense at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore and reiterated it in his inauguration speech as Indonesia’s eighth president on October 20 last year.”

Assegaf further argued that humanitarian efforts must be supported by legal and institutional frameworks.

“What President Prabowo must do is ensure that Indonesia establishes a law on defending the Palestinian people's struggle,” he said. “To this day, Indonesia has no legal foundation for its support of the Palestinian cause.”

Although the Indonesian government has consistently expressed solidarity with Palestine, Assegaf’s remarks reflect growing pressure from civil society for more structured and consistent policy.

Meanwhile, Monique Rijkers, a pro-diversity and interfaith activist, voiced her conditional support for Indonesia’s initiative. She emphasized the need for ideological guidance for evacuees, especially to prevent extremist sympathies.

“I support the evacuation plan,” said Rijkers. “Gaza civilians can be nurtured by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, anti terrorists Densus 88, and the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) to ensure they do not adopt the ideology of Hamas, which is extremely anti-Israel. Hopefully, the influence of Indonesia’s Pancasila values will inspire them to become peace-loving individuals.”she added.