Indonesia Weighs Legal Action After Israeli Detention of Citizens

(MENAFN) Indonesia is weighing formal legal measures to secure the freedom of its nationals seized by Israeli forces following a military interception of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla in the eastern Mediterranean.

Coordinating Minister for Legal Affairs Yusril Ihza Mahendra confirmed that the Indonesian nationals were detained after Israeli forces stopped the convoy near waters off Cyprus on Monday.

"This matter must be clarified immediately, and we will soon take firm legal steps because in our democratic country there are guarantees of freedom and civil rights, so our people should not face pressure or lose their freedoms," Yusril was quoted as saying by the Jakarta Globe on Tuesday.

He cautioned, however, that Jakarta had yet to receive official confirmation of the detentions and that coordination with the Foreign Ministry remained ongoing.

"So far, I have not received complete information, but I will gather as much information as possible and later explain the matter in greater detail," he added.

The situation is diplomatically charged: Indonesia maintains no formal diplomatic relations with Israel, leaving its government with limited direct channels to pursue the matter.

Jakarta had already issued a formal condemnation of the military interception before the legal deliberations began. Nine Indonesian citizens — including two journalists — were reportedly among those taken into Israeli custody.

"We are deeply concerned about reports involving Indonesian journalists currently covering the humanitarian mission to Gaza," Indonesia's Communication Minister Meutya Hafid said, according to a state-run news agency.

According to the Global Sumud Flotilla, 10 vessels from a 60-boat convoy were boarded by Israeli forces in international waters earlier Monday. The flotilla had departed Thursday from Marmaris, a Turkish Mediterranean district, in a direct bid to breach the Israeli blockade that has locked Gaza since 2007.

Organizers said the mission carried 426 participants — including 96 Turkish activists — drawn from 39 nations, among them Germany, the US, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Algeria, Indonesia, Morocco, France, South Africa, the UK, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Egypt, Pakistan, Tunisia, Oman, and New Zealand.

This was not the first violent encounter involving the flotilla. On April 29, Israeli forces had already struck the convoy off the coast of the Greek island of Crete — underscoring a pattern of military confrontation with the humanitarian mission.

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