By Cecilia Odey
Indonesia could deploy between 5,000 and 8,000 soldiers to a potential international peacekeeping mission in the Gaza Strip, Indonesian Army Chief Gen. Maruli Simanjuntak said on Tuesday.
Speaking to journalists ahead of the first meeting of U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed Board of Peace, Maruli said Indonesia had begun preparing personnel, particularly military engineers and medical staff, for a possible deployment.
“Everything is still being negotiated and nothing is certain yet,” Maruli said, adding that no final decision has been taken on troop numbers.
“At this point in time, there is no confirmed number.”
He said the launch of any mission would depend on the outcome of further negotiations over the implementation of a Gaza peace plan.
Decisions on the timing, location and mandate of a deployment would be made by higher authorities, he added.
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, has long been a vocal supporter of Palestinian statehood and did not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel.
Jakarta has repeatedly stressed that it would only send troops to Gaza as part of an international peace mission and with the consent of all parties involved.
Under Trump’s plan, the Board of Peace is expected to establish an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) tasked with maintaining order in the Gaza Strip, although its exact composition and mandate have yet to be defined.
Several predominantly Muslim countries, including Indonesia and Pakistan, have signalled their willingness to contribute troops, while Germany has ruled out military participation.
Israel’s Kan radio reported that preparations are underway in southern Gaza to accommodate thousands of Indonesian soldiers.
According to the report, an area between Rafah and Khan Younis is being prepared, with housing for the troops expected to be set up within weeks.
Indonesian President, Prabowo Subianto, is also expected to travel to Washington for the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace on Feb. 19, media reports said.
Uncertainty remains over the precise role of the proposed stabilisation force.
Hamas has rejected demands in the peace plan to disarm, while the plan also envisages a further withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and a gradual handover of territory to the ISF.
No concrete timetable has been agreed.
The ceasefire in Gaza has faltered repeatedly during its initial phase, with continued deadly incidents reported in the heavily devastated coastal enclave.
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono said last week that Jakarta could reconsider its participation in the Board of Peace if the forum no longer aligns with Indonesia’s objectives on Palestine.
Indonesia joined the initiative to advance Palestinian independence, Sugiono said, and remains committed to that goal.
“If it does not correspond with what we want first, peace in Gaza specifically, then peace in Palestine more broadly, and ultimately Palestinian independence and sovereignty then that is the trajectory we want to achieve,” he said. (dpa/NAN)