UI Students' Alliance Urges Prabowo to Withdraw from BoP
The University of Indonesia Students Alliance has urged President Prabowo Subianto to withdraw from the Board of Peace (BoP). The demand was conveyed in a letter delivered to the Office of the Ministry of State Secretariat on 4 March 2026.
“Indonesia’s membership in BoP places the country on the side of the colonisers and is contrary to the constitution,” said Fathimah Azzahra, representative of the UI Students Alliance. They argue that BoP contravenes the mandate of the opening preamble of the 1945 Constitution which rejects all forms of colonialism. The issue, they say, is that in the forum, the dominance of the United States and its ally Israel is evident.
Israel occupies Palestinian lands through military aggression. Meanwhile, the US has repeatedly vetoed attempts by the United Nations Security Council to recognise a Palestinian state.
Razan Diandra Fatahillah, representative of UI Students for Justice in Palestine, added that the UI Students Alliance also urged Indonesia to cancel plans to deploy Indonesian National Armed Forces troops to Gaza. The deployment of TNI troops to Gaza is part of Indonesia’s decision to join the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in November last year.
At the BoP Summit in Washington DC, US in February, US President Donald Trump announced that Indonesia had accepted an offer to become Deputy Commander of the ISF. Around 8,000 TNI soldiers would be sent to Gaza, Palestine for ISF duties.
Razan argues that the deployment of TNI troops with the ISF could lead to harm such as confrontation and demilitarisation of Palestinian fighters, as well as becoming a performative mediator in the US–Israel war with Iran.
“We urge the President to stop involvement in deploying ISF troops,” she said.
In this letter, the UI Students Alliance also puts forward a number of demands to Prabowo to fulfil his pledge to withdraw from BoP if the forum’s aims do not align with Palestinian independence.
They also urge Prabowo and the Red and White Cabinet to condemn and denounce the US–Israel attacks on Iran.
“We also issue an ultimatum to the President and his colleagues to fulfil all demands within a 3x24 hour period before the wrath of the Indonesian people descends,” said UI Students Alliance representative Fathimah Azzahra.
Prabowo’s decision to join BoP was made when he attended the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, on Thursday, 22 January. In front of US President Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Prabowo signed the BoP charter as a sign of agreement to join the forum set up by the United States.
BoP is claimed to be intended to address conflicts around the world, including in Gaza, Palestine.