Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) and Daily Chairman of the Gerindra Party, revealed that President Prabowo Subianto personally led negotiations with U.S.
President Donald Trump on behalf of seven Muslim-majority nations to remove a critical clause in the formation of the Board of Peace (BoP), which originally required all member states to formally recognize Israel as a sovereign state.
Dasco disclosed this at a buka puasa (iftar) gathering with senior activists in South Jakarta on March 9, 2026, explaining that the seven Muslim nations were deeply alarmed by the clause, prompting Indonesia to consolidate a joint position before Prabowo brought it directly to Trump, ultimately securing the clause's removal.
Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country with no formal diplomatic ties to Israel, joined the BoP after Prabowo attended its inaugural meeting in Washington on February 19, 2026, and expressed readiness to deploy up to 8,000 peacekeeping troops to Gaza as part of an International Stabilization Force (ISF).
Indonesia's participation drew sharp criticism from domestic Muslim groups, while Prabowo firmly stated that Indonesia would not pay the BoP's permanent membership fee of US$1 billion, clarifying that Jakarta's contribution would be limited strictly to the deployment of peacekeeping forces and carried no financial obligation.
As tensions escalated following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, discussions regarding Indonesia's peacekeeping mission in Gaza were formally suspended, with Prabowo asserting that Indonesia would withdraw from the BoP if the platform failed to deliver tangible benefits for the Palestinian people or proved contrary to Indonesia's national interests.
