Radhiyya Indra, Jakarta – As the war against Iran launched by the United States and Israel rages on, pressure has been growing domestically for Indonesia to withdraw from the US-led Board of Peace, with Islamic communities and lawmakers questioning the body's commitment to peace in the region.
The conflict in the Middle East continues to expand with Iran firing a barrage of missiles at neighboring Gulf states, retaliation against a coordinated missile strike launched by the US and Israel on Tehran and other Iranian cities on Feb. 28 that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The war has garnered attention in Indonesia, which under President Prabowo Subianto has been intensifying engagement with the US through the bilateral Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) and the Board of Peace for post-war reconstruction in Gaza.
But Indonesia's muted response to the war, a "deep regret" against the escalation as mentioned in a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, has garnered a backlash, with House of Representatives lawmaker Oleh Soleh noting the lack of condemnation of the US and Israel for triggering the conflict.
"I urge the government to be at the forefront in pushing for sanctions against Israel and the US," the National Awakening Party (PKB) lawmaker of House Commission I overseeing foreign affairs said on Tuesday, as quoted by Tempo.co.
Fellow Commission I lawmaker, TB Hasanuddin of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), concurred, calling on Indonesia to promptly leave the Board of Peace to safeguard the country's free and active foreign policy approach and prevent any indications of tolerating aggression against another sovereign state.
"Indonesia has already committed itself to the initiative. But rather than letting this drag on and creating bigger problems, the government should immediately take steps to withdraw," he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
Hasanuddin warned that Indonesia's current position would lead to suggestions that the country is subtly "supporting the interests of the US and Israel", noting that such a stance could damage the country's standing among Palestinians.
Among the first to call on the government to withdraw from the board was the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), which said on Sunday that the board was "ineffective" in realizing genuine independence for Palestine.
Another Islamic group, Muhammadiyah, also voiced its concern over the lack of a firm stance from the government and called for all nations to condemn the US-Israel attack that was deemed a violation of human rights, international law and the United Nations Charter.
As of Tuesday evening, President Prabowo had not made any public statements on the ongoing war.
The President held a meeting on Tuesday evening at the State Palace with former presidents Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Joko "Jokowi" Widodo as well as former vice presidents, foreign ministers and political party leaders to discuss "various national and global issues", said Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya in a statement.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Sugiono shared on Tuesday afternoon that he had a call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, reiterating Indonesia's readiness to "play a constructive role in advancing peace" and urging "maximum restraint" from all warring parties.
Peaceful board?
Middle East scholar Yon Machmudi of the University of Indonesia described Indonesia's position on the board as "dilemmatic".
He added that the longer the Middle East war raged on it would prompt the public to further question the board's commitment to peace.
"How can the board offer a just peace in Gaza when its chair and members are involved in a war far removed from the vision of peace?" Yon said on Tuesday.
"People will soon question whether any peace agenda can truly deliver justice for Palestine if the US and Israel are conducting attacks and killing leaders."
But international relations expert Andrea Abdul Rahman Azzqy from Budi Luhur University disagreed, arguing Indonesia's withdrawal from the Board of Peace would weaken the country's long-standing identity as a mediator and advocate for peaceful resolutions.
However, he urged Indonesia to reconsider its commitments toward the board, as well as its peacekeeping mission, the International Stabilization Force (ISF).
Indonesia was named ISF deputy commander during the board's inaugural meeting in February, in which Prabowo pledged to send at least 8,000 troops to Gaza. The US serves as the mission's commander.
"The more strategic option for Indonesia is to remain engaged [on the board] while clearly defining the scope of its involvement, particularly ensuring that its participation doesn't translate into military deployment without a clear international mandate," Andrea said.
He added that Indonesia should now emphasize diplomatic and humanitarian contributions instead of troop commitments to prevent Jakarta from being trapped in the volatile regional rivalries.
Former Indonesian ambassador to the US Dino Patti Djalal echoed a similar sentiment, proposing that Indonesia suspend any plans to deploy troops to send a message to US President Donald Trump that the country is "a principled country" that would not be easily taken for granted by other countries.