Jakarta. Indonesia’s decision to join US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza drew criticism from a professor who warned that the move may be premature, particularly because it operates outside the United Nations framework.

“This board resembles a model of international trusteeship, where Gaza would be governed by external actors under the pretext of stabilization and reconstruction,” Ali Muhammad, a professor of international politics at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, told Jakarta Globe on Thursday. 

“Unlike post–World War II international trusteeship arrangements, however, this mechanism is designed outside the UN framework, without a clear international legal mandate and without meaningful participation from the people of Gaza themselves.”

Indonesia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry announced on social media that it welcomed Trump’s invitation to join the board, alongside Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

In the post, foreign ministers from the participating countries said they support “the implementation of the mission of the Board of Peace as a transitional administration” aimed at achieving “a just and lasting peace grounded in the Palestinian right to self-determination and statehood in accordance with international law.”

Read More: Trump Rolls Out His Board of Peace at Davos, But Many Top US Allies Aren't Participating
 
Ali noted, however, that the initiative does not explicitly endorse a two-state solution, which is widely regarded by the international community as the most viable long-term resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

He also warned that conflict-resolution mechanisms operating without UN involvement could set a dangerous precedent, as the board’s legitimacy would not derive from international law but from power dynamics and a coalition of states that “support a US- and Israel-centric security architecture.”

Trump has publicly suggested that the board could replace some functions of the United Nations, and potentially render the body obsolete in the long run.

Ali described Trump’s approach to Gaza as treating the territory as having lost its political agency, reducing its population from rights-bearing subjects to objects of security and humanitarian management.

“This reflects a US unilateralist approach that consistently places strategic stability and Israel’s security above international consensus and accountability,” Ali said. “The Arab states and Indonesia invited to join primarily serve as sources of symbolic and humanitarian legitimacy, rather than substantive political decision-makers.”

According to Ali, Indonesia ultimately accepted Trump’s invitation amid the continuing devastation in Gaza and what he described as acts of genocide by Israel, while no viable short-term solutions are in sight. He added that President Prabowo Subianto’s close ties with the US government may also have influenced the decision.

As of Thursday night, it remained unclear how many countries had formally joined the board. Traditional US allies such as Norway and Sweden have indicated they will not participate, following France’s decision to opt out. French officials said they supported peace efforts in Gaza but were concerned the board could seek to supplant the UN as the primary forum for conflict resolution, according to AP.

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