JK Rallies Former Ambassadors to Push Prabowo to Withdraw Indonesia from Board of Peace
Pressure for President Prabowo Subianto to promptly withdraw Indonesia from membership of the Board of Peace (BoP) continues to intensify. This time, the call comes from former Vice President M Jusuf Kalla (JK), who served during 2004-2009 and 2014-2019, together with former Indonesian ambassadors and senior diplomats.
They gathered to discuss geopolitics in light of the Middle Eastern conflict and Indonesia’s global participation, including the Palestinian issue.
JK invited former ambassadors and senior diplomats affiliated with the Indonesian Council on World Affairs (ICWA) to his residence in South Jakarta on Thursday, 12 March 2026. According to a press statement received by journalists, eight major topics were discussed at the meeting.
Foremost was the Palestinian issue. The statement noted that the Palestinian problem, which remains under Zionist Israeli occupation, has complex roots. Several points of complexity include competition and territorial disputes and resource competition, including water and oil.
Also discussed were the occupation by Zionist Israel over Palestinian territory, including the construction of illegal Jewish settlements on Palestinian land.
“Peace processes that have repeatedly failed, and the lack of trust between both sides (Zionist-Palestinian) have worsened the situation. Despite various initiatives undertaken through the Camp David Accords, the Oslo Agreement, Arab initiatives, and so on,” stated the ICWA press release in Jakarta on Saturday, 14 March 2026.
However, it was noted that negotiation initiatives have consistently stalled due to the reality of unequal political power. Related to this, another topic discussed extended to the current situation regarding the existence of the BoP for Gaza, Palestine. The BoP, whose establishment was initiated by United States President Donald John Trump, according to JK and former ambassadors, currently generates considerable controversy.
“Several issues have emerged, relating to the unclear mission and objectives of the BoP, unbalanced representation within the BoP, and the lifelong role of the BoP chair (Donald Trump), the BoP’s mission and rules of engagement, and BoP membership fees,” stated the discussion content.
This includes the BoP issue within Indonesia regarding President Prabowo’s commitment to deploy 8,000 Indonesian military personnel to Gaza in a mission as the International Stability Force (ISF) under BoP command. According to these figures, the TNI deployment to Gaza lacks clear rules of engagement, and its duties remain undefined.
The deployment of TNI forces in the ISF to Gaza lacks a mandate and does not follow customary international mechanisms through the United Nations (UN). “Which typically applies to a peace-keeping force, and without a risk evaluation mechanism that could endanger the TNI,” stated the release.
Because of this lack of clarity regarding the BoP, JK together with former ambassadors and diplomats urge President Prabowo to promptly withdraw Indonesia from the BoP. “This should be done expeditiously to preserve Indonesia’s position and reputation on the international stage in accordance with the independent and active foreign policy that forms the foundation of Indonesian diplomacy,” they said.
In the meeting, these figures provided recommendations for President Prabowo to withdraw Indonesia from the BoP whilst pursuing activism on Palestine. This would involve taking collective steps together with other countries within the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to adopt concrete measures supporting Palestine.
President Prabowo could also take a crucial role, considering Indonesia remains the primary driving force of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and could take the lead in championing Palestinian interests. Indonesia could assume the role of host for an Emergency Summit of Non-Aligned Movement specifically to discuss Palestine.