Indonesia to Send Troops to Gaza Amid Trump Plan Skepticism & UN Concerns
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia is moving forward with preparations to deploy up to 8,000 troops as part of a prospective international peacekeeping force to Gaza, marking the first concrete commitment to a key component of President Donald Trump’s postwar plan for the region. The move, however, is stirring domestic debate and raising questions about the mandate and funding of the proposed force.
Indonesia has a well-established record of participation in international peacekeeping operations, consistently ranking among the top ten contributors to United Nations missions, including a long-standing presence in Lebanon. The nation has also been a significant provider of humanitarian aid to Gaza, notably funding a hospital within the territory.
Despite this history, a degree of skepticism exists within Indonesia regarding President Prabowo Subianto’s decision to align with Washington’s “Board of Peace” initiative and contribute to the International Security Force (ISF). Concerns center on the lack of detailed information regarding the force’s operational parameters and a perception that the move represents an alignment with Trump’s agenda as the two countries negotiate a trade agreement.
“We need to be careful to ensure that our military personnel are not supporting the Israeli military forces,” cautioned Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, a Middle East expert at the Jakarta-based Center of Economic and Law Studies. “We need to be careful that our military forces are not fighting against wrong actors.”
The ISF’s Mandate Remains Unclear
While United Nations peacekeeping forces operate under clearly defined mandates, the ISF, operating outside the UN framework, faces ambiguity regarding its role and responsibilities. The ceasefire agreement underpinning the plan broadly outlines that the ISF will “provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza” and “work with Israel and Egypt to help secure border areas.”
A significant concern is the financial burden the deployment may place on Indonesia. Currently, the UN reimburses Indonesia for its peacekeeping contributions. However, it is feared that Indonesia will be responsible for the full cost of deploying troops to Gaza, potentially including a $1 billion payment for a permanent seat on the “Board of Peace,” as outlined in a draft charter.
Indonesian officials have justified participation in the “Board of Peace” by asserting the need to advocate for Palestinian interests from within the organization, despite Israel’s inclusion and the absence of Palestinian representation.
“Indonesia sees the importance of the involvement of the parties to the conflict as part of the process towards peace,” stated Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang this week. She added that Indonesia intends to leverage its membership to “ensure that the entire process remains oriented towards the interests of Palestine and respects the basic rights of the Palestinian people, as well as encouraging the realization of a two-state solution.”
However, this rationale was challenged in an editorial published by The Jakarta Post, which argued that “an independent Palestinian state, if it emerges at all, is likely decades away.” The editorial continued, “Indonesia will end up paying $1 billion long before any meaningful outcome is achieved. And if Indonesia eventually withdraws in frustration, it will have already spent vast resources; financial, diplomatic and political, for nothing.”
Trump Seen as Overstepping the U.N.
The “Board of Peace” was initially conceived as a small group of world leaders overseeing Trump’s plan for Gaza’s future. However, the U.S. President has since broadened its scope, positioning it as a mediator for global conflicts, effectively circumventing the authority of the United Nations.
Prabowo, a former army general seeking to elevate Indonesia’s international standing, swiftly accepted Trump’s invitation to join the “Board of Peace” and initially pledged 20,000 Indonesian troops for peacekeeping duties during his address to the United Nations General Assembly.
An online petition initiated by a coalition of Muslim scholars and activists has voiced opposition to joining a body led by Trump, citing his past actions, including threats against Greenland, interference in Venezuelan affairs, and the U.S. Veto of a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza last year.
“In our belief, peace will be difficult to achieve by a country or a leader of a country who repeatedly uses his veto power to prevent the occurrence of peace itself,” the petition states, calling for Indonesia’s withdrawal from the “Board of Peace.” It has garnered over 9,000 signatures to date, arguing that the “BoP faces serious legitimacy problems, both normatively, structurally and morally.”
Indonesia’s Military Readies Troops Despite Lack of Guidance
On Friday, approximately 100 protesters gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, displaying signs with slogans such as “Bored of peace?” and “Free Gaza.”
Earlier this week, Indonesian Army Chief of Staff Gen. Maruli Simanjuntak announced the commencement of training for potential peacekeepers, despite the absence of specific guidance regarding the required personnel profiles. He indicated that Indonesia now anticipates deploying between 5,000 and 8,000 troops, focusing on engineering and medical units.
“We have started training personnel who might later serve as peacekeepers,” he said. “So that means engineering, medical units — the types often deployed.”
Despite domestic reservations, the prospect of Indonesian peacekeepers in Gaza is viewed favorably in the region, according to Hassan Jouni, a Qatar-based analyst and former Lebanese army general. Jouni stated that Indonesia is perceived as an “honest and acceptable broker” by both sides of the conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza.
“Indonesia is a Muslim country… And its religious identity gives it a large distinction in its security participation as part of the peacekeeping forces in the Arab region,” he said. “At the same time, it does not pose a strategic threat to Israel.”
While Indonesia and Israel lack formal diplomatic ties and Indonesia has consistently supported Palestinian rights, it has not adopted a directly confrontational stance towards Israel comparable to that of Turkey or Iran.
“From this point of view, the participation of Indonesian forces in southern Lebanon comes in a balanced and effective manner,” Jouni said, suggesting a similar outcome in Gaza.
Attention now turns to the inaugural meeting of the “Board of Peace” next week in Washington, where other nations are expected to announce their troop commitments. Prabowo is scheduled to attend in person and is also expected to finalize the new trade deal. The Center of Economic and Law Studies’ Rakhmat believes that domestic opposition is unlikely to sway Prabowo’s decision.
“I don’t think the domestic opposition would significantly change the decision of Indonesia in joining the BoP,” he said.