Why Indonesia’s Muslim groups are revisiting Palestinian issue, ‘Board of Peace’
By Resty Woro Yuniar
Indonesia’s largest Islamic organisations appear to be recalibrating their stance on Palestine by softening earlier criticisms of President Prabowo Subianto’s decision to join US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace”, in what analysts describe as a shift from prioritising Palestinian independence to broader security issues.
The adjustment, which followed a closed-door meeting at the presidential palace earlier this month, has fuelled a debate on whether major Muslim groups are being nudged to align with the government’s reframing of the issue – and whether that places them at odds with staunchly pro-Palestinian sentiment at the grass-roots level in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country.
Prabowo is set to attend the board’s inaugural meeting in Washington later this month, with Jakarta framing its participation as a way to influence discussions on Gaza’s future governance and security.
The board, launched in January under a UN Security Council resolution to support Gaza’s post-war administration and reconstruction, is chaired by Trump and counts about two dozen founding members, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan and Jordan alongside Indonesia.
Prabowo’s decision to join the board initially drew backlash at home, with critics warning that Jakarta’s membership risked advancing US and Israeli interests rather than Palestinian independence.
Indonesia has also committed to send troops to Gaza as part of the US-led International Stabilisation Force. State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi said on Tuesday that “around 8,000 troops” would be deployed and preparations were under way, though the departure date had yet to be set.