Trump’s Board of Peace. Muslim countries along for uncertain ride

While Australia has not yet responded to Donald Trump’s Peace Board invitation, many Muslim countries, including Indonesia, have responded. What does President Prabowo hope to achieve, he asks Duncan Graham?

The Peace Board was established as “a global cooperation platform to support the stability of conflict zones and post-conflict recovery, especially in Gaza” and was announced together with the 20-article peace plan in September last year.

Nearly 40 countries have participated so far. opening meeting Last week, up to $10 billion in support was pledged from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait. The US donated $14 billion to the controversial private organization.

Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, has pledged to send troops for peacekeeping efforts.

Prabowo used membership as a chance to be reasonable about Israel; This is an issue that few dare to touch for fear of being seen as betraying the Palestinians (who are not represented in the Assembly).

last September that said UN General Assembly:

“We must have an independent Palestine, but we must also recognize and guarantee the security and safety of Israel. Only then can we have true peace: Peace without hatred, peace without doubt.”

The only solution is this two-state solution.

What about Australia?

Most BOP participants are small right-wing dictatorships, such as the feudal monarchies in Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. Pakistan and Türkiye also participated. They are supposed to be parliamentary republics but usually armies are in control, so they are best labeled as such.flawed democracies‘.

Australia has not yet responded to the invitation. Depending on Australia’s potential role, many of those on the panel may not be the kinds of states Australia would want its troops to work with to restore harmony in the damaged, troubled and disputed Gaza Strip, where Hamas gunmen still snipe and the Israel Defense Forces continue to bomb.

American allies including Britain, Germany, Italy and France also refused to sign up, although former British prime minister Tony Blair had a prominent role. While Canada’s invitation was cancelled, all Scandinavian countries, such as New Zealand, also rejected the invitation.

Trump’s wine tariff threat over rejection of Macron peace board

Those gathering around King Trump’s throne in the hope of tariff reductions are, to mix the metaphor, sardines. The trophy tuna is Indonesia, the fourth largest country in the world by population and with the largest number of Muslims; Although constitutionally still a secular state, there are more Christians than Australian citizens.

President Prabowo Subianto said at the opening meeting of the BOP that his country would contribute up to 8,000 troops and begin working in sparsely populated areas controlled by Israel, such as Rafah. This tests your diplomacy skills; Indonesia does not recognize Israel and rarely its people.

There will be one US general in charge and Indonesia will be number two.

Indonesia’s role is questioned

The Republic’s participation in the BOP came as a surprise to most Indonesians. There hasn’t been a referendum or public debate in the country of 280 million people, so few people know what it means. They’ll do it when the body bags start coming back.

Before heading to the meeting in Washington, Prabowo spent almost four hours with Indonesia’s two leading Islamic organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama (Resurrection of Scholars) and Muhammadiyah (followers of Muhammad). Together they claim to have close to 150 million members.

They reportedly endorsed Prabowo’s support as the best way to achieve a two-state solution, with the condition that Indonesia withdraw if it is not compatible with the country’s values.

Prabowo’s apparent closeness to Trump makes him the de facto international political leader of small Muslim states and appears to give him influence in dealing with the issue of a two-state solution.

According to a expression In a statement from Prabowo’s office, the President “confirmed Indonesia’s full support for the 20-point plan launched by US President Donald Trump as a framework for regional stability and peace.

“As Indonesia initially studied the plan, the Indonesian government expressed its understanding and strong determination to actively contribute to the implementation of the plan.

“We are committed to ensuring its success. We recognize that there will be many obstacles and challenges, but we are very optimistic about President Trump’s leadership.

“This stance also strengthens Indonesia’s determination to promote the implementation of the Two-State Solution as a path to just and sustainable peace in the Middle East.”

What – is there a typo here? Neither the US nor Israel supports the two-state solution. Australia does this, which is one of the reasons it receives so much criticism from Zionists.

Prabowo sees himself as a world statesman and frequently beats his chest abroad (30 times in the past year). As a result, his absence from Jakarta aroused little interest until Yayasan Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Indonesia (Indonesian Legal Aid Institute) reported that the boss had gone to see his hero.

President Muhammed Isnur warned Joining the BOP, he said, “has the potential to undermine Indonesia’s resolve to uphold international law and protect human rights.”

Indonesia should not side with parties suspected of crimes against humanity, but should fully support Palestine’s independence.

Southeast Asian think tank Stratsea commented:

“What makes this particularly puzzling is Indonesia’s lack of influence… it has neither the economic muscle to counter sanctions violations nor the military carrot to guarantee security.

“As a result, Indonesia has been relegated to the role of ‘rule maker’ rather than ‘rule maker’ in the BOP. Indonesia also has neither the veto power nor the economic weight to direct its agenda.”

It is not yet known whether the Board will be a real instrument of peace or one of Trump’s fads. Neither his presence nor his inaugural meeting was mentioned at Trump’s marathon State of the Union address This week.

Carney vs Albanese. We are redefining Australia’s place in the world. What about Indonesia?