Indonesia leader says will quit peace board unless Palestinians benefit

By AFP

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will quit US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace if it does not benefit Palestinians, a government statement said, as the country’s involvement faces scrutiny following the US-Israeli war on Iran.

The former general has come under mounting criticism from Muslim groups for his decision to join the board and pledge to send thousands of peacekeeping troops to Gaza under a ceasefire agreement that halted two years of devastating war there.

Prabowo told leaders of local Muslim groups this week that Indonesia’s membership of the Board of Peace aimed to achieve a lasting peace in Gaza, according to a government communication agency statement on Friday.

But he added that the country would withdraw from the board if it does not bring benefits to Palestinians or align with Indonesia’s national interests, a statement quoted Hanif Alatas, of the Islamic Brotherhood Front, as saying.

“The President said that if he sees that there is no longer any benefit for Palestine… and it is not in line with Indonesia’s national interest, then he will withdraw,” Hanif said.

In a statement this month, the country’s top clerical body, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), urged the Indonesian government to withdraw its membership from the board, calling it “ineffective in realising true peace in Palestine”.

Prabowo attended the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington last month, and pledged to send 8,000 troops to Gaza under the International Stabilisation Force.

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