JAKARTA: Indonesia is set to take a deputy commander role in the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) as part of the Gaza peace plan after it had accepted an offer by the United States for the position.
Announcing the appointment on Feb 19 at US President Donald Trump’s first Board of Peace meeting, ISF commander major-general Jasper Jeffers said: “I have offered and Indonesia has accepted the position of deputy commander for the ISF.”
“With these first steps, we will help bring the security Gaza needs for a future of prosperity and enduring peace.”
Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto, who was in Washington for the Board of Peace meeting, said that he would deploy troops to Gaza as part of the ISF within two months.
Prabowo added that an advance team might be sent to Gaza first to map the area and conduct risk analysis, while also reiterating that Indonesia has been entrusted with a leadership role.
“They asked us to be the deputy commander,” Prabowo was quoted as saying by state news agency Antara, adding that the government would appoint its best officer for the position.
Earlier, Indonesia said it was ready to send up to 8,000 troops in Gaza in April as part of the ISF, making it the first country to publicly commit troops to such a peacekeeping mission.
Indonesian army chief of staff general Maruli Simanjuntak said on Feb 9 that the brigade will likely mobilise 5,000 to 8,000 troops although the plan was still tentative.
Jeffers said that ISF personnel are tasked with ensuring stability in Gaza, with forces slated to be deployed across five distinct sectors. Each sector will be assigned one ISF brigade.
The five sectors include Rafah, Khan Yunis, Deir el-Balah, Gaza City and Northern Gaza.
“In the short term, we plan to deploy to the Rafah sector first, in addition to the training of police,” Jeffers said in a live broadcast from the White House.
The medium-term strategy involves expanding the deployment sector by sector, with a long-term target of 12,000 police personnel and 20,000 ISF troops on the ground, reported news outlet Tempo.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-gaza-isf-deputy-commander-peacekeeping-force-board-peace-5942141
