Indonesian Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin stated that the country is preparing 20,000 Indonesian National Armed Forces soldiers to be sent as peacekeeping troops in Gaza, Palestine.
He explained that the preparation of these soldiers is in line with the instruction of President Prabowo Subianto. The soldiers being prepared are those with health and construction specializations.
"So, his [the President's] thinking is that we maximize the preparation of 20,000 of our soldiers, but their specifications are focused on health and also construction," Sjafrie said after meeting with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Jordanian Armed Forces, Major General Pilot Yousef Ahmed Al-Hunaity, at the Ministry of Defense Office in Jakarta, Friday (14/11).
He explained that there are two options for sending peacekeeping troops to Gaza. The first is under the auspices of the United Nations (UN). The second is under the approval of an international organization initiated by the President of the United States.
"This requires discussions which certainly will not be short, but require a joint agreement. For Indonesia, we will be fully involved in supporting this if all countries with the competence agree on Indonesia's involvement, especially for the Arab countries, namely Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, and the Emirates," Sjafrie said.
