IS THE BOARD OF PEACE MISSION GENUINE?
The MUI, academics and civil society CNA spoke to questioned whether the US-led Board of Peace would genuinely advance Palestinian independence.
Lawmaker Dave Laksono, a member of the parliament’s commission on defence, foreign policy, communication and intelligence, told CNA that although Prabowo had said that 8,000 troops would be deployed to Gaza, it has yet to be determined exactly when.
“The lack of an official schedule reflects a cautious approach. The safety of military personnel, the credibility of the mission, and public support are key considerations before any concrete steps are taken,” he said.
“The ministry of defence has emphasised that the plan remains within the constitutional framework, but implementation will depend on the president’s directives and operational readiness on the ground.”
CNA has reached out to the ministry of defence and ministry of foreign affairs for comment.
In its press statement on Mar 1, MUI said it believed that there is a strategic motive behind the attack “suspected to be a systematic attempt to weaken Iran’s strategic position in the region, while simultaneously limiting Iran’s support for the struggle for Palestinian independence”.
The Retired Indonesian National Armed Forces Soldiers Forum (FPP-TNI) has also called for Indonesia to leave the board, and on Prabowo to withdraw the plan to deploy 8,000 Indonesian troops to the Palestinian enclave.
It said on Tuesday that the BoP has the potential to violate the constitution, the state defence principles and the principles of an independent and active foreign policy.
Retired General Fachrul Razi, quoted by local media platform Tempo, explained that Indonesia’s involvement in international peacekeeping forces can only be carried out under a UN mandate and not any other organisation.
“Especially with the Board of Peace that is headed by an American general. This truly offends the feelings of our Palestinian friends,” he said, after a forum meeting on Feb 26.
Meanwhile, on Mar 1, 65 public figures, including academics and environmentalists, as well as 79 civil society groups, including Human Rights Working Group and Indonesia Corruption Watch, issued a statement urging the government and the parliament to evaluate Indonesia’s agreement in the BoP charter.
“The BOP established in Davos is not the BoP mandated by UNSC Resolution 2803,” the statement said.
They were referring to the United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 2803, which was passed on 17 Nov 2025 to give effect to the Gaza peace plan agreed by Israel and Hamas in October 2025.
The resolution was welcomed by Indonesia and the Palestinian Authority.
The public figures and civil society groups said that the Board of Peace does not have a road map on Palestinian independence, so the membership must be reviewed.
They also said that the US-Israel attacks in Iran violated international law and undermined world peace.
“Thus, the Board of Peace has become a Board of War because the BoP is chaired and dominated by Donald Trump, who launched a military attack on Iran,” the statement said.
“The BoP chairman, who is supposed to maintain peace as stipulated in the BoP charter, has instead engaged in actions that are inimical to that peace.”
They added that they also rejected the deployment of Indonesian military troops to Gaza without a UN Security Council mandate since a deployment under a BoP mandate is inconsistent with UN Security Council Resolution 2803.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-board-peace-us-iran-israel-gaza-5970521
