Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto has received an invitation to the inaugural Board of Peace leaders’ meeting in the US later this month, according to a senior official, but Jakarta can’t confirm whether the latter will attend the talks.

Last month, Indonesia officially became a founding member of the Board of Peace for Gaza, a decision that was met with widespread skepticism. The controversial board has US President Donald Trump as the chair. Trump reportedly wants to convene the group’s first leaders’ meeting in Washington on Feb. 19. The meeting will also act as a fundraiser to reconstruct the war-devastated Gaza.

State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi confirmed to the press on Monday that there was an invitation letter for Prabowo. Asked about Prabowo’s attendance, Prasetyo only said: “No [information] yet. We will announce [it] if there is certainty [on whether the president would join].”

Indonesia has been trying to close a trade deal with the US since last April, and the negotiations are about to cross the finish line. Senior minister Airlangga Hartarto has repeatedly said that the signing hinged on Prabowo-Trump’s availability. Prasetyo admitted that the government was looking to kill two birds with one stone if Prabowo eventually chose to fly to the US later this month.

“We actually want to, but hopefully, we can do both [the board meeting and the tariff signing],” Prasetyo said.

The board has asked joiners to pay $1 billion if it wants to extend its three-year term to a permanent membership. Prabowo has decided to make the $1 billion buy-in. Foreign Minister Sugiono said that the board was expecting the transfer to take place within this year, but was willing to accept the money "in tranches".

Many Indonesians find the membership in the Israel-backed board to have belied Jakarta’s long-standing pro-Palestinian stance. Just a few days ago, Prabowo summoned Indonesia’s former foreign ministers, including their ex-deputy ministers, in a bid to placate the angry public. Dino Patti Djalal, who had a short-lived deputy ministerial tenure and is a critic of the board, admitted that there remained “many odd things” about the group’s charter.

“But since Indonesia is already a member, pay close eye to Trump and Israel’s agenda to silence Palestinians. Always leave the option of quitting the board open,” Dino said.

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