Indonesia should reconsider its involvement in US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan because it is being shaped by Israel and the United States and lacks a Palestinian voice, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, told Reuters in Jakarta on Thursday, October 22.
Source: Reuters
"I understand (Indonesia's) good intentions. I still think that it's very dangerous, because it risks to normalise a very abnormal mechanism," Albanese said in the interview, according to Reuters. She said Indonesia risked compromising its close ties with Palestinians, adding: "It's very risky to do so when the rules are set by Israel."
The Board of Peace, of which Indonesia is a key troop-contributing member, was unveiled by Trump in January to address global conflicts typically handled by the United Nations, Reuters reported. Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, has also pledged troops to be deployed to Gaza as part of an international stabilisation force. Al Jazeera reported earlier that Indonesia was among eight Muslim-majority countries whose foreign ministers confirmed they would join the board.
Source: Al Jazeera
Indonesia's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that Board of Peace discussions remained on hold, reiterating its earlier position, Reuters reported. The Board of Peace did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside US business hours. Indonesia backs a two-state solution and has repeatedly condemned Israeli violence, and President Prabowo Subianto has vowed to quit the board if it does not bring benefits to Palestinians, his office has previously said, according to Reuters.
Albanese said that, legally, Israel could not have a role in determining the future of Palestinians, and recommended that Jakarta join the Hague Group of countries, which includes South Africa and Indonesia's neighbour Malaysia and seeks to uphold international law, including in the International Criminal Court over Israel's actions, Reuters reported. Rights experts have criticised the board for not including a Palestinian representative even though it is meant to supervise the temporary governance of a Palestinian territory.
Reuters reported that Trump's Gaza plan has stalled: a 2025 ceasefire secured the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, but efforts to disarm Hamas and secure an Israeli withdrawal have faltered, while Israeli forces continue near-daily attacks in Gaza. Israel's government has denied accusations, including by a UN commission and international and Israeli rights groups, that it is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, Reuters added. Awaaz Punjab is reporting Albanese's remarks and the other parties' positions exactly as attributed by Reuters.