Indonesia and Arab-Muslim States Strongly Condemn Calls to Expel Gaza Residents

Indonesia and six Arab and Muslim countries have issued a forceful rebuke of calls by senior Israeli officials to expel Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. Their foreign ministers said they categorically rejected any attempt to move Palestinians, whether within or outside the occupied Palestinian territories.

The joint statement, released by Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry on Monday, September 7, specifically condemned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Israeli Defense Minister Katz over what it described as provocative statements. “The ministers reaffirmed their rejection and firm condemnation of any efforts or plans aimed at relocating the Palestinian people, whether within or outside the Occupied Palestinian Territory, under any pretext or justification,” the statement said.

The ministers warned that proposals of this kind directly violate international law and international humanitarian law. They described them as a serious threat to the fundamental and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, and expressed deep concern that the statements could become official policy or lead to action on the ground.

They also warned that such a step would derail peace efforts, including the Gaza peace plan backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, which the statement said explicitly opposes forced displacement. The ministers stressed that Gaza remains an inseparable part of the occupied Palestinian territory, alongside the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The statement called on the international community, particularly the United Nations Security Council, to reject efforts to alter the demographic or geographic character of the occupied Palestinian territories. It reaffirmed support for a lasting two-state settlement based on the borders that existed before June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.

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The ministers reaffirmed their rejection and firm condemnation of any efforts or plans aimed at relocating the Palestinian people, whether within or outside the Occupied Palestinian Territory, under any pretext or justification.