FILE PHOTO: Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, left, US President Donald Trump, centre, and Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia's president, during the Board of Peace signing ceremony at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. - Bloomberg
JAKARTA: The government on Tuesday (Feb 3) looks to have won over Muslim groups that have been criticising Indonesia’s involvement in the United States-led Board of Peace, following a “routine” meeting of high-ranking ulama at the Palace convened amid attempts to fundamentally shift public opinion on Gaza’s reconstruction and Palestinian statehood under Israeli occupation.
Close to 50 Islamic leaders were summoned to the Merdeka Palace in Central Jakarta on Tuesday by President Prabowo Subianto, including representatives from Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, two of the biggest Islamic organisations in Muslim-majority Indonesia.
Also invited were leaders from the Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI), the country’s top Islamic scholarship circle, as well as clerics representing Islamic boarding schools from various regions.
State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said before the meeting that one of the main issues the President wanted to discuss was Indonesia’s involvement in the Board of Peace, which has been roundly criticised over its exclusion of Palestinian representatives despite its aim to rebuild Gaza.
Among the project’s biggest critics were groups such as Muhammadiyah and the MUI, the latter having previously urged Indonesia to step down from the board considering Israel’s outsized role, which it said could prove contradictory to Indonesians’ support of the Palestinian struggle.
Indonesia maintains no formal relations with Israel as a matter of principle, but Prabowo attempted to break decades of foreign policy when he softened his tone on Israel and its “security needs” in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the US, last year.
Since then, he has committed Indonesia to the Board of Peace despite the strong opinions of Indonesian Muslims and growing disbelief in the proposed US$1 billion fee that US President Donald Trump has offered to countries keen on joining Trump’s club on a permanent basis.
Prasetyo noted that Tuesday’s meeting aimed to explain Prabowo’s intentions with the board, in hopes that the Islamic groups “would accept and understand the President’s reasoning”.
“There are still differing views on the matter, which might be because the President has not fully conveyed the basis of his decision [to the Islamic groups],” Prasetyo said on Tuesday, as quoted by Kompas TV.
Change of heart
Following the meeting with the President, MUI chairman Anwar Iskandar signaled a shift away from the council’s earlier criticism, emphasising Prabowo’s stated commitments regarding Palestinian sovereignty and humanitarian relief.
“What I understand from the President’s explanation is his commitment to genuinely fight within the Board of Peace for a fully sovereign and independent Palestine,” Anwar told reporters on Tuesday evening.
Asked whether the MUI now supported Indonesia’s participation, Anwar said: “As long as it is beneficial, then certainly. Why not?”
Prabowo has not publicly shared his reasons for joining Trump’s board, but promised that any funds Indonesia pledges would go toward Gaza’s reconstruction following the brutal war.
After the Merdeka Palace meeting, Foreign Minister Sugiono reiterated that the guiding principle for joining the Board of Peace is the achievement of a “two-state solution,” adding that Indonesia remains open to withdrawing from the board “if it no longer aligns with [Indonesia’s objectives]”.
MUI’s Anwar also mentioned that Prabowo joined the Board of Peace for Indonesia’s own safety and security interests, noting that the move is intended to avoid any conflict with global powers amid the looming risk of war.
“Indonesia’s security is the most important consideration [for Prabowo]. Therefore, he is strongly committed to positioning himself within this board to fight to prevent war. And that also means saving all of us Indonesians,” he said.
Meanwhile, NU chairman Yahya "Gus Yahya" Cholil Staquf, also said that Prabowo “extensively” described his realist policy considerations behind the move. The group was one of the few Islamic groups to give early support to the Board of Peace initiative.
“The President stated that everything Indonesia does [on the board] will be done with vigilance, with the non-negotiable principle of protecting, defending and assisting the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza,” Yahya said at the Palace.
Not widely convincing?
Even as the nation’s Muslim groups appear to have warmed up to the idea of joining the Board of Peace, Middle East and global Islamic world expert Yon Machmudi of the University of Indonesia remains doubtful over the nation’s ability to uphold its principle of fighting for Palestinian independence, pointing to the US’ control of the board and Israel’s involvement.
“Indonesia’s lack of sway inside the board can be easily proven with recent incidents, in which Israel bombarded Gaza and its Prime Minister [Benjamin Netanyahu]’s persistent refusal to recognise a Palestinian state,” Yon told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
Israel launched one of its latest air strikes in Khan Younis city in the southern Gaza Strip last Saturday, killing at least 32 people, mostly women and children, AFP reported, only days after the board was launched and in violation of a ceasefire brokered with Hamas.
Yon added that Indonesia was also not in any position to influence Trump's policy, citing the country’s ongoing 19 per cent tariff deal with the US that analysts fear might be a significant motivator for Prabowo’s decision to join the board.
Dino Patti Djalal, former deputy foreign minister and presidential spokesperson on foreign affairs, urged caution while acknowledging that positions on the Board of Peace will continuously shift so long as “there is so much mystery surrounding” it.
“The Indonesian government should adopt a very cautious attitude and see what will become of the Board,” he told the Post on Tuesday. He believes the government should openly talk about risks involved and Indonesia’s game plan in the coming months.
“While the public may be open minded about Indonesia joining the Board of Peace, I believe the overwhelming majority would oppose Indonesia paying [a fee of] $1 billion to be a permanent member," he said. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
