JAKARTA — Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono announced Tuesday that discussions on U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza “Board of Peace”, where the Southeast Asian nation serves as a major troop contributor, are frozen due to the escalating Middle East war.
With the U.S.-Israeli air campaign against Iran claiming numerous civilian lives, disrupting global flights, and spiking oil prices via the Strait of Hormuz closure, “all BoP discussions are on hold as all attention has shifted to the situation in Iran,” Sugiono said. He pledged consultations with Gulf allies also under fire, speaking after an event with President Prabowo Subianto.
Domestic critics, including Muslim groups and experts, have slammed Indonesia’s board role as undermining its traditional Palestinian support and two-state advocacy. The Indonesian Ulema Council urged withdrawal on March 1, deeming the initiative futile post-Trump’s Iran strikes, while Nahdlatul Ulama pressed Jakarta to leverage its seat for cease-fires.
Trump launched the board in September to resolve Israel’s Gaza war, later broadening it to other UN-handled disputes. Sugiono added that Prabowo stands ready to mediate the Iran crisis for de-escalation. Indonesia is preparing 1,000 troops for a potential early-April Gaza deployment under a UN-mandated International Stabilization Force, taking the deputy commander position.