Indonesia suspends Board of Peace discussions, postpones Gaza peacekeeping deployment
Jakarta — Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu) has reaffirmed that all discussions pertaining to the Board of Peace (BoP) remain suspended and the deployment of Indonesian peacekeeping forces to Gaza, Palestine, has been postponed.
“We affirm that the deployment of Indonesian peacekeeping forces to Gaza is currently postponed, and all discussions regarding the Board of Peace remain on hold,” stated Kemlu spokesman Nabyl A. Mulachela to journalists in Jakarta on Tuesday.
The statement was made in response to reports of an international troop deployment in the Gaza Strip set to commence in May.
The Kemlu spokesman reiterated that any Indonesian participation in the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) remains entirely under Indonesian national control and is based on the UN Security Council mandate.
“Indonesia’s participation in the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) remains entirely under Indonesian national control, and is based on UN Security Council Resolution 2803 (2025), as well as consistent with Indonesia’s free and active foreign policy, national interests, and international law,” Mulachela stated.
On Sunday (15 March), Anadolu reported that Israel’s public broadcasting authority, KAN, indicated Israel was preparing to deploy international forces to the Gaza Strip in May as part of the next phase of a plan proposed by US President Donald Trump.
The report suggested the forces would comprise approximately 5,000 Indonesian troops alongside military personnel from Kazakhstan, Morocco, Albania, and Kosovo, with operations potentially commencing on 1 May.
The report also noted that the forces would initially be positioned around a newly developed Palestinian city being constructed with support from the United Arab Emirates in the Rafah area in southern Gaza, before potentially expanding to other parts of the territory.
The report further indicated that military delegations from participating nations were expected to arrive in Israel within two weeks to conduct reconnaissance operations in Gaza prior to troop deployment.
On 6 March, Kemlu announced that Indonesia had decided to suspend all discussions regarding the Board of Peace following the escalation of conflict between Iran and the US-Israel alliance on 28 February.
According to Kemlu spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkan, the decision was taken because Indonesia’s current priority is to monitor the evolving dynamics of the Middle East conflict and to ensure the safety of Indonesian nationals in the region.
“As conveyed by the Foreign Minister several days ago, all discussions with the BoP are currently suspended, or as it is termed, ‘on hold’,” Mewengkan said.