Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Indonesia better withdraw from the Board of Peace than be humiliated by US President Donald Trump, said Anwar Abbas, The chair of Muhammadiyah's Central Leadership.
According to Anwar, Trump supports the Israeli colonization of Palestine in contrast to the anti-colonial nation of Indonesia. Trump, as the initiator and chair of the peace board, also juxtaposes Indonesia's values in humanitarianism and justice.
There is no point for Indonesia to remain in the Board of Peace if it is unable to change the leadership or become the leader instead, said Anwar. "It's better and more honorable to step back than be embarrassed and humiliated by Trump," he told Tempo on Thursday, March 5, 2026.
The Trump-backed organization has always been untrustworthy from the moment of its conception, Anwar said, since its leader has moral defects as a hardline ally of Israel. Under PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel seeks to establish Greater Israel by land-grabbing Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and parts of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.
"Every territory that has been seized by Israel has not been returned by Netanyahu to Palestine, citing security reasons," Anwar said, adding that Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected the idea of a Palestinian state.
Board of Peace, Anwar went on, has never represented the Palestinian interests, where Netanyahu is welcome as a member while Palestine is not involved.
"I think none of the members dare to oppose Trump's desire," he said.
Trump, Anwar said, has moral issues and a bad temper. Before launching the attack on Iran and killing its Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the US president had kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The call for Indonesia to exit the Board of Peace has been growing after Washington and Tel Aviv launched unprovoked strikes on Iran. The attack killed several high-ranking Iranian figures.
The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Civil Society Coalition, universities across Indonesia, and students are urging President Prabowo Subianto to withdraw Indonesia's membership from the peace board.
Through the Indonesian Ulema Council's Tausiyah in a decree numbered Kep-28/DP-MUI/III/2026, the MUI urged the government to revoke its membership in the Board of Peace. MUI deemed the Trump-backed body ineffective in achieving true independence in Palestine. The call for withdrawal is strengthened by Trump's actions in attacking Iran, alongside Israel.
The chair of MUI for Foreign Relations, Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim, stated that this attack is concrete evidence that US President Donald Trump is indeed a destroyer of peace. "Therefore, the Board of Peace is increasingly losing its moral, political, and even legal legitimacy because it has proven to be useless in creating true peace and especially justice," Sudarnoto said in a written statement on Sunday, March 1, 2026.
– Andi Adam Faturahman contributed to the writing of this article.