National Police Chief Defends Indonesia's Entry into Board of Peace

JAKARTA — National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo has outlined the rationale behind President Prabowo Subianto’s decision to bring Indonesia into the Board of Peace (BoP), a Peace Council for Gaza, Palestine. General Sigit stated that efforts to achieve peace in Palestine have been difficult to pursue directly through official international institutions such as the UN Security Council (UNSC).

Indonesia, according to Sigit, must continue to play its role in defending Palestine through active and non-aligned foreign policy participation. “One option chosen by the President was to join the Board of Peace,” said Police Chief Sigit during an Iftar meal with the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and police in Jakarta on Wednesday, 11 March 2026. Sigit acknowledged that Indonesia’s entry into the BoP initially sparked controversy and criticism.

However, General Sigit expressed confidence in President Prabowo’s good intentions to bring direct influence from Indonesian foreign policy to the Palestinian issue, which has been difficult to address through the UNSC. “On the other hand, when universal institutions such as the UN or major countries that have traditionally been responsible for maintaining peace (UNSC) are not heard, then the President has had to attempt to join the BoP,” said Sigit.

Sigit expressed hope that Indonesia could directly advocate for peace in Palestine and the Middle East. “Thus there remains an opportunity to discuss peace in Palestine, in the Middle East. And this is what the President is doing,” said Sigit. The BoP is an ad-hoc organisation outside the UNSC mandate, established by US President Donald Trump. It was formed specifically to serve as a Peace Council for Gaza, Palestine.

In January 2026, more than 30 countries joined the BoP, including Indonesia. However, a persistent issue has been criticism of the BoP for not including Palestine as a member. The BoP is chaired by Trump, and within it has been established the International Stabilisation Force (ISF). Five countries have been designated by the BoP Council as ISF members, with Indonesia serving as deputy commander.

ISF member countries are sending 20,000 troops from each nation to be deployed to Gaza. Indonesia is preparing 8,000 personnel. The remaining forces come from Morocco, Kosovo, Azerbaijan, and Albania. These military personnel will eventually become a special force to maintain peace in Gaza. However, this remains without a UNSC mandate. Criticism of the ISF also emerged after the task of the five-nation force was revealed to involve disarming factions of Palestinian fighters in Gaza, Palestine.