Why Indonesia’s Muslim groups are revisiting Palestinian issue, ‘Board of Peace’
Several Muslim groups have previously opposed Prabowo’s decision to join the board, fearing it would serve US and Israeli interests
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.
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.