Jakarta. US President Donald Trump recently announced that his Board of Peace had amassed over $5 billion in pledges to rebuild the war-devastated Gaza, as the clock ticks toward the group’s first meeting.

Trump did not say which member countries had officially made those commitments. The Board of Peace is a Trump-led initiative aimed at supervising the Gaza ceasefire and reconstruction, with Jakarta being a founding member, much to the chagrin of many Indonesians. Ahead of the board’s inaugural meeting on Thursday local time, Trump took to social media to share that the board had raised a substantial amount of money for the reconstruction.

“I will again be joined by Board of Peace members at the Donald J Trump Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, where we will announce that member states have pledged more than $5 billion toward the Gaza humanitarian and reconstruction efforts,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday night Jakarta time.

“... and have committed thousands of personnel to the International Stabilization Force [ISF]  and local police to maintain security and peace for Gazans.”

When Indonesia became the board's founding member last month, questions emerged surrounding the $1 billion price tag.

Any country that contributes $1 billion in cash within the first year of the group’s establishment will get a permanent seat at the table. The money will go into rebuilding the enclave. Foreign Minister Sugiono has said this fee was not mandatory and could be paid in tranches. Sugiono signaled that Jakarta would make a financial contribution, but had yet to work on the details. Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa is also keeping the option of reallocating a portion of the Defense Ministry’s budget to the peace board open. This year, the government has earmarked Rp 187.1 trillion ($11.1 billion) for the Defense Ministry.

All eyes are glued to who will come to the board’s first meeting. Prabowo is expected to be in the same room as Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, among others. 

Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Vahd Nabyl A Mulachela told the Jakarta Globe that Prabowo’s attendance reflects “Indonesia’s commitment to play an active role in shaping the direction and work of the board from the outset”.

Jakarta has promised to send some soldiers to Trump's ISF, a multinational force meant to help with the ceasefire. Indonesia remains undecided on the size of the contingent. The government has recently released the dos and don'ts for the Indonesian national caveats, which laid out how they would not engage in combat with any armed forces. Their job on the ground will also be strictly limited to humanitarian tasks and training the Palestinian police force. Indonesia will also withdraw its men if the ISF's mission no longer aligns with Jakarta’s pro-Palestinian foreign policy.

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