Jakarta. ASEAN recently praised US President Donald Trump’s role in the Gaza ceasefire despite the bloc’s current chair Malaysia’s absence at the Egypt summit.

The group’s foreign ministers issued a joint statement on Tuesday after the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel reached the first phase of a Trump-brokered ceasefire deal. The statement came after world leaders, including President Prabowo Subianto, jetted to Egypt for a Gaza summit, also co-chaired by Trump. 

“We commend President Trump for his continued leadership and sustained efforts to end the war in Gaza,” the ASEAN statement reads. 

The 10-member grouping praised the collective efforts by other mediators, including Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey. 

ASEAN’s chief diplomats called upon the “concerned parties to fully adhere to the terms”, alluding to Hamas and Israel. The document repeated calls to the two-state solution, which would see the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside that of Israel.

“We emphasize the need for a permanent ceasefire, immediate, unimpeded, safe and sustained delivery of humanitarian assistance,” the statement reads.

The Sharm el-Sheikh talks saw the signing of what the White House called the “The Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity”. A copy of the document saw the signatories US, Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar committing to diplomatic engagement and negotiation in resolving future disputes. 

Prior to the summit, Trump had introduced a twenty-point peace plan that included Gaza redevelopment, hostage release, aid distribution, and even the establishment of a special economic zone. 

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim recently revealed that the Sharm el-Sheikh conference was open to countries that “fully endorsed” the peace plan, citing that Kuala Lumpur was only willing to give conditional support. 

“We [Malaysia] demand a comprehensive solution -- one that includes the return of expelled Palestinians, as well as Palestine’s right to exist as a country. I have read the twenty-point document. It does not mention Palestinian statehood and rights,” Anwar said.

He added: “We support the plan with reservations.”

Prabowo was the only ASEAN leader to join the Egypt talks. 

When Prabowo returned from Egypt, the president explained to the press how Indonesia would always support Palestinian independence. Key mediators, including Trump, had asked whether Jakarta was ready to send peacekeeping troops as promised.

“I told them that Indonesia is ready to deploy the peacekeeping troops if requested. … We'll discuss the details. It's still complicated, and it won't be easy. But we're getting to work," Prabowo said.

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