Jakarta. Indonesia has decided to become part of the Board of Peace, an organization led by US President Donald Trump that will oversee the reconstruction of Gaza.

Indonesia broke the news to the public in a joint statement with fellow Muslim-majority nations Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates. Jakarta revealed that Trump had penned an invitation letter to President Prabowo Subianto, which the Indonesian leader had accepted. The same goes for the seven other aforementioned nations.

“The [foreign] ministers announce their countries’ shared decision to join the Board of Peace. Each country will sign the joining documents according to its respective relevant legal and other necessary procedures,” the statement reads. 

This bloc of Muslim nations also added that they had backed the “peace efforts led by President Trump”. In that statement, the countries described the Board of Peace as a “transitional administration” that aims to consolidate a permanent ceasefire and support Gaza reconstruction. The board also seeks to advance a “just and lasting peace grounded in the Palestinian right to self-determination and statehood in accordance with international law”.

The Board of Peace was a key proposal in Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and World Bank Group President Ajay Banga will have a seat on the executive board. In Davos, Trump has said that there are 59 countries that would be part of the Gaza peace deal.

“Some of those countries aren’t even in, they are near the Middle East, but not in the Middle East, traditionally. And they want to come in and take out Hamas,” Trump told the World Economic Forum on Wednesday local time. 

Prabowo has set foot in Switzerland to address the same conference soon.

Indonesia’s latest statement would mean that Jakarta would be in the same group as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel had earlier announced that its leader had accepted Trump’s offer to be a member of the board. France and Norway have said no. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that his country could send $1 billion to the peace board by using Moscow's assets frozen during the previous US administration.

At home, Indonesia is backing Trump’s proposal to create the so-called International Stabilization Force (ISF) that will demilitarize the Gaza Strip. International relations analyst Muhammad Waffaa Kharisma urged Jakarta to think twice about contributing to the ISF, citing concerns over its legitimacy. 

“If we send troops without a strong legitimacy, the Indonesian forces will be the face of an illegitimate initiative, especially if it is not accepted by the Palestinians,” Waffaa said in a recent press briefing.

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