President Prabowo Subianto has defended Indonesia's continued participation in the controversial Board of Peace, emphasizing that Jakarta's involvement serves solely to advance a two-state solution for Palestine rather than military engagement.
In an exclusive interview with Bloomberg, Prabowo explained that Indonesia's presence in the Board allows Jakarta to "influence and work toward a long-term solution, which we believe is an independent Palestine, a two-state solution."
The Board of Peace, a multinational initiative aimed at deploying peacekeeping forces to Gaza, has drawn criticism from Indonesian civil society groups who question whether it aligns with the nation's bebas aktif (free and active) foreign policy doctrine established during the Sukarno era. That principle commits Indonesia to non-alignment and prohibits participation in military alliances.
Prabowo sought to address those concerns directly. "We cannot be part of any military alliance," he stated, reaffirming Indonesia's constitutional commitment to non-alignment. He added that plans to send Indonesian peacekeepers to Gaza have been suspended, and all Board of Peace discussions are currently on hold due to escalating violence in the Middle East.
The president emphasized that Indonesia must "stand on our own feet" and not depend on other powers, while maintaining strong defensive military capabilities and good relations with all neighbors. "We maintain good relations with all our neighbors and have a defensive military posture," Prabowo said.
In Indonesia, as across archipelagic democracies, unity in diversity requires constant negotiation across islands, ethnicities, and beliefs. The Board of Peace debate reflects deeper tensions about how the world's largest Muslim-majority democracy balances its Islamic identity, non-aligned principles, and growing regional leadership ambitions.
Domestic critics worry that any association with the Board could compromise Indonesia's credibility as an honest broker in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where Jakarta has long championed Palestinian statehood while maintaining informal ties with Israel. Indonesia's stance on Palestine carries significant domestic political weight, particularly among the nation's Muslim organizations.
Prabowo's comments come as Indonesia navigates increasingly complex regional security dynamics, including U.S.-China competition in Southeast Asia and ASEAN's struggle to maintain centrality amid great power rivalry. How Jakarta manages the Board of Peace question will signal whether Prabowo's administration will maintain traditional non-alignment or gradually expand Indonesia's international security commitments.
