US President Donald Trump (L) shakes hands with Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto at the "Board of Peace" meeting during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 22, 2026. US President Donald Trump will show off his new "Board of Peace" at Davos on January 22, 2026 burnishing his claim to be a peacemaker a day after backing off his own threats against Greenland. Originally meant to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza after the war between Hamas and Israel, the board's charter does not limit its role to the Strip, and has sparked concerns that Trump wants it to rival the United Nations. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI/ AFP)
As the democratically elected leader of Indonesia, President Prabowo Subianto made a final and binding foreign policy decision last week: to join the United States President Donald Trump-initiated Gaza Peace Council.
The President decided to join the exclusive club because he is sure it is the most realistic path to achieve an independent Palestine that lives peacefully with Israel as a neighbuor.
President Prabowo is very right to abandon Indonesia's classical foreign policy, which had been practiced for decades: Tirelessly demanding that Israel should unconditionally allow the Palestinians to become an independent nation without recognising Israel as a sovereign nation.
We had also insisted that Indonesia will only recognise Israel after the realisation of the state of Palestine
For the President, such a rigid position will not change anything and may even make it impossible to take on a larger international role in the Middle East.
There should be a significant breakthrough by acting more flexibly, including recognising that Indonesia will not get anything from its decades-long rigid demands.
However, we have a moral obligation to remind the President that the public may perceive him to be playing with fire, because Trump has practically absolute power on the council, and his strong motive is to sideline the United Nations Security Council and to protect the interests of Israel at any cost.
Trump acts as if he has total authority worldwide, and is now often a source of global laughter. But it is also a reality that Trump is still the most powerful person in the world, even as US might is eroding.
It is very clear that Prabowo feels he has some chemistry with the US leader and that he could gain significant benefits for Indonesia by building a strong personal bond with Trump.
That is why the public wants to know more about Prabowo's plan. A persuasive and effective public diplomacy is much needed here. But it can only happen when bureaucrats at the Foreign Ministry are completely convinced of the President's new foreign policy direction.
"I think this is a historical moment. This is truly an opportunity to establish peace in Gaza," the President said after the signing ceremony in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday. But Prabowo's audience at home does not fully agree with him.
They are deeply pessimistic about the council created by Trump. And one day, they may speak up loudly and create a political dilemma for the government.
Eight countries have declared their membership in the Gaza Peace Council: Indonesia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Trump has also said members should provide a financial contribution as a condition of membership. The group’s foreign ministers have expressed confidence that the Trump-formed institution can be a means to achieve peace, a permanent ceasefire and stability and security for the Palestinian people in Gaza.
The council's establishment sparked international doubts, including from most European Union members and China. They stated that they trusted the UN more for the recovery of the situation in Gaza.
Foreign Minister Sugiono claimed that Indonesia's membership reflects the international community's strong confidence in advancing global peace, particularly in the Middle East. "This underscores our belief that the board's charter is fundamentally focused on achieving independence and peace for Palestine," he continued.
We do believe President Prabowo's decision was taken after a thorough consideration of Indonesia's national interests and those of the Palestinians, as well as its potential implications for Indonesia's strictly practiced free and active foreign policy.
With this new position, it is clear that Indonesia can play a more crucial role, given its status as the world's most populous Muslim-majority country and the world's third-largest democracy. That way of thinking is very rational.
But the international and domestic community is doubtful that Palestinians in Gaza and in the West Bank will be much freer from Israel's crimes against humanity after Trump’s initiative. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
