Indonesia Rejects Israel’s Plan to Build Defense Complex on Former UNRWA Site

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta — The Indonesian government has firmly rejected Israel’s plan to build a defense ministry complex on the site of the former headquarters of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East in East Jerusalem, saying the move would strengthen the occupation of Palestinian territory.

The Israeli government this week reportedly approved the construction of a Ministry of Defense complex on the former UNRWA headquarters site near Ammunition Hill in East Jerusalem.

“Indonesia strongly rejects the measures taken by Israel to strengthen its occupation of Palestinian land,” Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vahd Nabyl A. Mulachela said in Jakarta on Thursday, May 21, 2026.

Indonesia considers locations under UNRWA to have immunity and privileges under the mandate of the United Nations and therefore must be respected by all parties.

“There is already a UN mandate stating that locations currently under UNRWA possess immunity. We must respect that immunity and those privileges,” he said.

Nabyl also stressed that the Indonesian government rejects various systematic efforts by Israel to weaken UNRWA, which has long played a role in providing humanitarian assistance to Palestinian refugees. He urged that the measures not be continued because they contradict the two-state solution principle long supported by the international community.

“And we ask that these measures not be continued because our principle remains the two-state solution, with borders based on the pre-1967 lines and East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine,” he said.

As quoted by The National, a joint statement from the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the Jerusalem Municipality said the complex would be built on a 36-dunam, or approximately nine-hectare, site as part of efforts to strengthen Israel’s defense presence in Jerusalem. The complex will include a new Israeli military museum, recruitment offices, and offices for the Israeli defense minister.