“We do not want to be involved in deweaponizing Hamas. We only plan to protect civilians from any attack,” he said in the Presiden Prabowo Menjawab broadcast, as reported on Friday.
According to him, the peacekeeping mission embodies the Indonesian people’s persistent struggle to defend Palestinian independence.
Prabowo emphasized Indonesia’s readiness to deploy troops within the framework of the Board of Peace (BoP), upon the consent of all parties.
He informed that approval from Palestinian leaders and Muslim-majority countries is an absolute requirement. These countries include Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Qatar, and Egypt.
Besides support from regional countries, Prabowo emphasized the importance of acceptance from the de facto parties on the ground.
“Hamas must accept us, because we want to be a peacekeeping force,” he continued.
In the BoP mechanism, the head of state explained the term national caveats, or respected national boundaries, where each member state has the right to determine involvement according to its own national principles.
Regarding these boundaries, Prabowo ensured that Indonesia takes a firm stance against armed confrontation.
“We are firm in not wanting to be involved in military action against Hamas,” he pointed out.
However, the president said that the planned troop deployment is currently suspended, following the escalation of the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran.
The suspension was made after the government held a series of consultations with various parties regarding the unstable geopolitical situation.
“In such a war, we did consult, but in de facto everything is on hold. Yes, I have announced that,” Prabowo stated.
Indonesia had originally planned to send up to 8,000 Indonesian military personnel on a humanitarian stabilization mission and join the International Stabilization Force (ISF). Although internal preparations are underway, the deployment remains subject to an official UN mandate and the current security situation.
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Translator: Aditya Ramadhan, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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