Prabowo Asserts Indonesia Ready to Withdraw from BoP if Not Beneficial

President Prabowo Subianto has affirmed that Indonesia will not hesitate to withdraw from membership in the Board of Peace (BoP) or Peace Council if the organisation is deemed no longer to provide tangible benefits for national interests.

This firm statement was made by President Prabowo during a question-and-answer session with journalists at his residence in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java, on Thursday (19/3).

“As long as we are in the BoP and it can help the struggle of the Palestinian people, we will strive. But if we conclude there is no hope and it is counterproductive, we assess that we are wasting time, wasting energy, and it is not beneficial to the national interests of the Indonesian nation, we will exit,” said Prabowo.

Prabowo explained that Indonesia’s involvement in the formation of the BoP began when he delivered a speech at the United Nations General Assembly on 23 September. In that speech, he reaffirmed Indonesia’s support for Palestinian independence and urged a two-state solution.

A few hours after the speech, Prabowo, along with seven leaders of majority-Muslim countries—namely Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Qatar, and Egypt—was invited by United States President Donald Trump to a meeting.

In that meeting, Trump reportedly requested support for the 21-point plan, a proposal to create sustainable peace in Gaza. The details of the proposal were outlined by the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff.

According to Prabowo, points 19 and 20 in the proposal are seen to open a pathway for Palestinian independence, albeit with limited scope.

“So we see this as an opportunity, even if small. In the end, after discussions and deliberations, we debated whether to support this or not. Through lobbying, we agreed to support it,” he explained.