Indonesia Needs Eyes Wide Open on Trump's 'Board of Peace'

By Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director, and Andreas Harsono, Indonesia advisor, Human Rights Watch.

Indonesia has accepted the offer of a deputy commander role in the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) for Gaza after joining US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace. The Indonesian government should use its position to promote and safeguard the human rights of Palestinians, and to advocate for the leading role of the United Nations in Gaza.

President Prabowo Subianto participated in the board’s inaugural meeting in Washington, DC on February 19. The Indonesian government said the meet “aimed to consolidate the commitments of member states in supporting the reconstruction of Gaza, including through potential financial and operational contributions.” The government has committed to send 8,000 troops to Gaza.

Many Indonesians have criticized the government’s decision to join the Board of Peace. Prabowo, however, said it is an opportunity to show commitment to humanity because the Trump administration brokered a “ceasefire agreement” and return of hostages. Prabowo said at board’s meeting: "We are very optimistic that with the leadership of President Trump, this vision of real peace will be achieved."

Concerns for the protection of civilians in the Middle East have heightened since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28 that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Iran’s retaliatory strikes throughout the region. Indonesia called for “the importance of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every country and resolving differences through peaceful means.”

Many people in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world, have long supported the rights of Palestinians. The state never established diplomatic ties with Israel, a policy established in 1955 when then-President Sukarno did not invite Israel to the historic Asia-Africa conference in Bandung, in part due to his support for Palestinian self-determination. In 2023, Indonesia filed a submission to the International Court of Justice finding that “Israel’s discriminatory policies [in the Occupied Palestinian Territory] have evolved into an apartheid policy.”

Indonesia has condemned atrocities committed by Israeli forces in Gaza, which have left over 72,000 Palestinians dead according to the Gaza health ministry, following the attack by Hamas-led Palestinian groups on October 7, 2023 that killed 1,200 Israeli and foreign nationals.

To support besieged civilians in Gaza, Indonesia provided humanitarian assistance and supported a hospital, called Indonesia Hospital, that was later attacked in an Israeli airstrike. At a United Nations conference in September, Prabowo said that “We must stop the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.” And Indonesia’s foreign minister Sugiono, at the UN Human Rights Council on February 23, committed to “unwavering support” for Palestinian rights and “an immediate end to violence.”

This is why it is important for Indonesia to acknowledge serious problems with the Board of Peace, which has already been disregarding the rights of Palestinians. The board’s charter does not even mention human rights or accountability. Even as the board met, Israeli authorities were still killing civilians, demolishing Palestinian properties, and restricting crucial humanitarian assistance in Gaza and the West Bank.

Prabowo met with 16 Islamic organizations to explain that the Board of Peace was the most practical option available. Yahya Cholil Staquf of the Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization, said that he was persuaded because “no one else took the initiative” on bringing peace to Gaza besides Trump, and that Prabowo’s decision to back the effort was “realistic and concrete.”

Trump’s ambitions for the Board of Peace have already moved beyond Gaza. Naming himself chair of the board for life with veto power, Trump seems intent on sidelining existing multilateral mechanisms, above all the UN Security Council. He has invited selected countries, many of them led by notorious human rights abusers, to join and pay a US$1 billion fee for permanent membership. Meanwhile, the “Gaza Executive Board,” a subsidiary body to implement the board’s Gaza plan, does not even have Palestinian representation.

Prabowo has sought to expand Indonesia’s global leadership role. He has embraced Bebas Aktif, the foundational principle of Indonesia's foreign policy, which means to be independent and active. He has engaged with the United States, Russia and China, and signed economic agreements with India, Japan and others. In January 2025, Indonesia formally joined BRICS, which seeks political and diplomatic coordination particularly by countries from the Global South.

Indonesia, like other countries, faces difficult decisions amid challenges from adverse global economic conditions and armed conflict and other security concerns. US-China tensions over control of the South China Sea have particular implications for Indonesia. The Prabowo government has underscored the need for “resilient diplomacy,” to protect national interests in “an uncertain world.”

Consistent with this approach, Indonesia should make clear to the Trump administration that it is joining the Board of Peace specifically to help with the reconstruction of Gaza, not to support global ambitions aimed at sidelining the UN. It should insist that the board play a supporting role to the UN in Gaza, including when it comes to humanitarian assistance.

Indonesia can take a leadership role in the world, but it should be one that upholds international humanitarian and human rights law. Alone, it might be reluctant to tread on major power political dynamics. However, Indonesia should form alliances with other rights-respecting governments, so that together they can promote human rights – in Gaza, in the world, and at home.

*) DISCLAIMER

Articles published in the “Your Views & Stories” section of en.tempo.co website are personal opinions written by third parties, and cannot be related or attributed to en.tempo.co’s official stance.