Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – A number of parties have called on the Indonesian government to withdraw from the Board of Peace (BoP) following the United States and Israel's attack on Iran. Israel launched an unprovoked attack on Iran on Saturday morning, February 28, 2026. This attack on Iran was carried out as a joint military operation between the US and Israel.
The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) believes the BoP cannot bring peace to Palestine. They argue that US President Donald Trump's attack on Iran contradicts the spirit of creating peace in Palestine.
Meanwhile, Nur Rachmat Yuliantoro, Professor of the Department of International Relations at Gadjah Mada University (UGM), demanded that President Prabowo Subianto fulfill his promise to withdraw from the BoP if Palestinian independence is not achieved. The request to withdraw from the BoP was also submitted by a civil society coalition.
1. The Indonesian Ulema Council's view
The MUI urged the Indonesian government to withdraw from the US-created Board of Peace. The MUI questioned whether this strategy was truly aimed at a just peace or whether it would strengthen an unequal security architecture and bury Palestinian independence.
"Therefore, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) urges the Indonesian government to revoke its membership from the BoP, as it is deemed ineffective in achieving true independence in Palestine," the MUI stated in a sermon issued on Sunday, March 1, 2026, as quoted from a written statement on the MUI's official website.
The MUI believes that United States President Donald Trump has acted in the opposite direction. President Trump, the MUI stated, has instead carried out a joint attack with Israel against Iran.
Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim, Head of the MUI's Foreign Relations Division, stated that this attack is concrete evidence that US President Donald Trump is truly a destroyer of peace. "Therefore, the BoP is increasingly losing its moral, political, and even legal legitimacy because it has become clearly useless in creating true peace, let alone justice," Sudarnoto said in a written statement on Sunday, March 1, 2026.
2. Professor's response
Professor of the Department of International Relations at the University of Gadjah Mada (UGM), Nur Rachmat Yuliantoro, stated that President Prabowo Subianto once said that Indonesia could withdraw from the BoP if Palestinian independence was not achieved.
"However, before that goal could be realized, the US and Israel attacked Iran. This makes us question the credibility and legitimacy of the BoP, whose main actors are actually opening a new major conflict in the Middle East," Rachmat said when contacted by Tempo via text message on Saturday evening.
Peace through the BoP, he said, is a distant prospect. The international forum seems ironic.
"This is where I feel Indonesia needs to withdraw from its membership in the BoP because of the aforementioned breach of credibility and legitimacy," he emphasized.
3. Civil Society Coalition comments
Imparsial Director Ardi Manto stated that the 79-member civil society coalition believes Indonesia's involvement in the BoP should be discussed openly, involving the House of Representatives (DPR) and the public. "Not decided behind closed doors," Ardi said during an online reading of a civil society petition addressing the Indonesia-US trade agreement and Indonesia's involvement in the BoP on Sunday, March 1, 2026.
They believe the BoP in question does not refer to UN Security Council Resolution 2803, specifically regarding the mandate to resolve the Palestinian issue.
The structure and mechanisms of the BoP, criticized by the coalition, are deemed not to be under the control of the UN Security Council, but rather dominated by certain political interests.
"We believe Indonesia needs to reevaluate its involvement in the BoP because it has the potential to drag Indonesia into a global political configuration that is inconsistent with the principles of an independent and active foreign policy," he said.
– Ervana Trikanaputri and M. Syaifullah contributed for this article.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2090030/why-indonesia-should-exit-the-board-of-peac