President Prabowo Subianto has firmly clarified that Indonesia never pledged to contribute $1 billion to the Board of Peace (BoP), a Trump-backed initiative formed after the US, Qatar, and Egypt brokered a Gaza ceasefire, stating in a statement on his presidential YouTube channel that his government made "no commitment at all" regarding financial contributions.
Under the BoP's proposed structure, countries seeking permanent membership are required to pay the $1 billion fee, a provision that has drawn widespread criticism for potentially creating a "pay-to-play" system resembling the UN Security Council, though Prabowo emphasized that Jakarta only committed peacekeeping troops for the initiative.
Prabowo pointed to Indonesia's absence from the founding donors' meeting held in Washington on February 19 as clear evidence that no financial commitment was ever made, adding that the country's contribution remains focused on deploying peacekeepers and continuing humanitarian assistance, including building a hospital in Gaza.
Prabowo's participation in the BoP has drawn domestic backlash from Indonesian Muslim groups, and talks with Washington regarding the planned deployment of 8,000 peacekeeping troops to Gaza have now been placed "on hold," according to the Foreign Ministry's spokesperson.
Prabowo warned that Indonesia reserves the right to withdraw from the Board of Peace if it fails to benefit Palestinians or conflicts with national interests, and similarly insisted that a recently signed tariff deal with the US could also be exited if its terms threaten Indonesia's national interest.
