JAKARTA - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has confirmed that the plan to send Indonesian peacekeepers to Gaza, Palestine, is not to disarm Hamas. He also said that the plan is currently suspended following the increasing tensions between Iran and the United States and Israel.
Prabowo said Indonesia's commitment to the Palestinian issue stemmed from a consistent stance for a long time, namely supporting Palestinian independence.
"I have been fighting for the Indonesian nation since the beginning. We have always defended Palestinian independence. In various meetings with Western figures, I conveyed that Indonesia is ready to be involved and send peacekeepers, provided that all parties agree to Indonesia's involvement," said Prabowo in his statement, Friday, March 20.
The statement was made during the "President Prabowo Answers" event held at his residence in Bogor Regency, West Java. The open discussion forum featured a number of experts and senior journalists, and was broadcast on Thursday, March 19.
According to Prabowo, the main approval in the plan to send peacekeepers must come from the Palestinians, including Hamas, as well as Muslim-majority countries that are members of the Board of Peace (BoP), such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Qatar, and Egypt.
"De facto, Hamas must accept our presence, because we want to be a peacekeeping force," he said.
He emphasized that within the framework of the BoP, each country has national caveats that must be respected. In this case, Indonesia stipulates that it will not be involved in military action against Hamas.
"We are firm, we do not want to be involved in military action against Hamas," said Prabowo.
In addition, Indonesia will also not participate in Hamas' disarmament efforts.
"We do not want to be involved in the acquisition or disarmament of Hamas. Our focus is to protect civilians from attacks by any party," he said.
However, the plan to send troops is currently suspended. Prabowo said the decision was made after considering the dynamics of the evolving conflict and the results of consultations with various parties.
"With the current developing situation, everything is temporarily postponed. I have said that," he said.
Previously, Indonesia planned to send up to 8,000 TNI personnel to Gaza in the framework of a humanitarian peace and stabilization mission. The troops are being prepared to join the International Stabilization Force (ISF). However, its realization is still pending the official mandate of the United Nations (UN) and the enabling security conditions.
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