Indonesia Must Ensure Peace Council Does Not Become a Tool to Expel Gaza Residents
JAKARTA - Professor of International Law at the University of Indonesia Hikmahanto Juwana asked the Indonesian government to ensure that the Gaza Peace Council, an idea of US President Donald Trump, does not become a tool to expel Gaza residents from their homeland.
He highlighted the presentation ahead of the signing of the Gaza Peace Council charter in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, delivered by Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, revealing a major plan for the transformation of Gaza that would make the region filled with skyscrapers.
"Do the Palestinian people in Gaza agree to this? If they do not agree, maybe the fantastic new city will tear the Palestinian people from their roots," said Hikmahanto as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, January 23.
The international law expert is concerned that such a transformation would make it impossible for the residents of Gaza to acquire land and affordable housing, and instead open the door for anyone, including Israelis, to take control of Gaza with the power of money.
Moreover, he said, the development of a city must not forget the aspects of the lives of the people who previously lived there, which in this case are the residents of Gaza themselves.
Hikmahanto then questioned whether the reconstruction of Gaza would actually be carried out according to the wishes of Israel which wanted to control Gaza after failing to seize control of the area due to resistance from the Hamas militant group.
He emphasized that the steps to rebuild the Gaza Strip must lead to the realization of Palestinian independence in its entirety, and Indonesia must ensure that the activities of the Peace Council always remain on this goal.
"All of this must be studied in depth by the Indonesian government so that the reconstruction of Gaza really humanizes the people of Gaza and becomes a path to Palestinian people's independence," said the UI academic.
Accompanied by President Trump, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto signed the Charter of the Peace Council on the sidelines of the 2026 World Economic Forum (WEF) agenda in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, making Indonesia officially a part of the organization.
Prabowo said the Gaza Peace Council was a historic opportunity to achieve peace in Gaza, and Indonesia had a great commitment to play a role in realizing this for the good of the Palestinian people.