Jakarta. Indonesia has said that it would quit the Gaza security force at any time if its mission no longer aligns with Jakarta’s pro-Palestinian policy.

World’s largest Muslim-majority country is preparing its military for the International Stabilization Force (ISF) — a multinational force proposed by US President Donald Trump meant to ensure security in Gaza. As Jakarta gears up to put boots on the ground, the Foreign Affairs Ministry has drawn up a list of the dos and don’ts for the Indonesian national caveats. Indonesia promised that its soldiers’ job in Gaza would be restricted only to humanitarian tasks, be it civilian protection, humanitarian aid rollout, reconstruction, or training the Palestinian police force. Indonesia will also only send its troops with “the Palestinian authority’s consent”.

“[We can] abort [the mission] at any time. Indonesia will end its participation if the ISF’s implementation deviates from what the national caveats are pursuing or is inconsistent with Indonesia’s foreign policy,” the ministry said in a statement published over the weekend.

The Indonesian government went on to say that the soldiers’ operations would be limited to Gaza, “which is an integral part of Palestine”. The personnel will not engage in combat or confrontations “with any armed forces”, alluding to the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Jakarta pledged to use force solely for “self-defense” and as a “last resort”. Indonesia also repeated its stance on “rejecting all attempts at demographic change, forced displacement or relocation of the Palestinians in any form”, according to the press statement.

To this day, Indonesia remains undecided on how many peacekeepers it will deploy. Estimates given by senior officials and military top brass range between around 600 and 8,000 soldiers. National Armed Forces Deputy Commander Tandyo Budi Revita had told reporters earlier this week that Indonesia would announce the fixed number “by the end of the month”.

At home, President Prabowo Subianto will soon fly to Washington to attend Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza meeting. Leaders of the member countries are also expected to gather in the US for the reconstruction fundraising talks. Indonesia has dismissed the ties normalization concerns after Israel officially joined the board.

“Indonesia’s presence in the Board of Peace cannot be interpreted as a normalization of political ties with any party, or as a legitimacy to a certain country’s policy,” Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Vahd Nabyl A Mulachela told the Jakarta Globe.

Indonesia and Israel to this day have not established formal diplomatic relations despite an increase in trade.

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