TB Hasanuddin: Deployment of TNI Soldiers to Gaza Under BoP Carries High Risk
Jakarta, VIVA – House of Representatives Commission I member Major General (Ret.) TB Hasanuddin has raised concerns over plans to deploy Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) soldiers as part of the International Stabilization Force (ISF) under the control of the Board of Peace (BoP). According to him, the move represents a highly risky and disadvantageous decision, both politically and militarily.
“Regarding the plan to deploy TNI soldiers in the ISF under the BoP, I view this as Indonesia’s participation in a United States government experiment that carries extremely high risk and considerable cost,” TB Hasanuddin said in a statement quoted on Monday, 16 February 2026.
TB Hasanuddin outlined several critical aspects that the government must seriously consider. First, the ISF’s mandate remains unclear. UN Security Council Resolution No. 2803, approved in November 2025, does mention the ISF’s role in assisting the BoP to support a ceasefire and demilitarisation in Gaza. However, in practice, the BoP has become an organisation structurally dominated by a single country — the United States — rather than operating as a collective collegial body.
Moreover, the BoP’s founding charter does not specifically mention Gaza peace. This situation is considered dangerous because the ISF could effectively become a “blank cheque” for whichever party dominates the BoP, allowing the mandate to be altered according to particular interests.
“This raises the question of whether the ISF truly represents the interests of troop-contributing nations or merely serves as an instrument of certain parties in Gaza. Our government must thoroughly study the mandate,” he said.
Second, there is the matter of acceptance by the conflicting parties in Gaza towards the ISF. TB Hasanuddin, who previously served as part of Indonesia’s contingent in the UN Peacekeeping Force in Iraq and Kuwait, stressed that the consent of all conflicting parties is a fundamental prerequisite for any peacekeeping mission. Without such consent, peacekeeping forces risk being drawn into armed conflict.
“To date, the BoP, which controls the ISF, has not included Palestinian representation within its ranks, whilst Israel has already been admitted. Furthermore, a senior Hamas leader recently expressed opposition to the presence of the BoP’s ISF in Palestine and claimed to have communicated with the Indonesian government regarding this stance,” he revealed.
He noted that these developments indicate the BoP-formed ISF has yet to secure comprehensive legitimacy from the conflicting parties and appears to lean towards one side.