JAKARTA, March 6 (Reuters) – Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto has reassured local Islamic groups that he will withdraw from U.S. President Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ if the platform does not benefit Palestinians, a government statement said on Friday.
The participation of Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, on the board, and its decision to contribute troops for a Gaza stabilisation force, has drawn criticism from experts and Muslim groups at home, who say it compromises its long-standing support for the Palestinian cause.
Prabowo gathered the groups’ leaders for a meeting on Thursday evening where he reiterated his reasoning behind joining the board, according to a statement put out by the government communication office.
Prabowo will withdraw from the board if it does not benefit Palestinian and Indonesian interests, the statement quoted Hanif Alatas of the Islamic Brotherhood Front as saying.
“The president said that if he sees that there is no longer any benefit for Palestine…and that it is not in line with Indonesia’s national interests, he will withdraw,” Hanif said in the statement.
The Indonesian Ulema Council, a leading clerical body, had previously called for Indonesia to exit the board due to the U.S. role in the ongoing Iran war.
Nahdlatul Ulama, the country’s largest Muslim group, said Indonesia’s government could use the board to encourage de-escalation in the Middle East.
“Indonesia could declare that the (board’s) agenda is on hold until there are talks on de-escalation and peace from the American-Israeli war against Iran,” its chief Yahya Cholil Staquf said in a statement issued by Prabowo’s office late on Thursday.
All Board of Peace discussions have been halted due to the war, Indonesia Foreign Minister Sugiono has previously said.
(Reporting by Stanley Widianto, Stefanno Sulaiman; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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