RRI.CO.ID, Bogor - State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said the government will meet with leaders of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) in response to the council’s request for Indonesia to withdraw from the Board of Peace (BOP), or Peace Board, for Gaza.

The Peace Board was initiated by United States President Donald Trump to halt violence in Gaza resulting from the conflict with Israel. A number of world leaders, including President Prabowo Subianto, signed the board’s founding charter in Davos, Switzerland.

“We will hold a dialogue with MUI,” Prasetyo said in Sentul, Bogor, West Java, on Monday, February 2, 2026. “We will provide an explanation as to why Indonesia decided to join the Board of Peace.”

Prasetyo emphasized that Indonesia’s participation in the Peace Board aims to advocate for Palestinian independence. He said Indonesia would provide input toward a peaceful resolution to the Gaza-Israel conflict.

“That is part of how we build dialogue, because if we do not join, how can we provide input?” he said, adding that Indonesia’s input is ultimately intended to ensure recognition of Palestinian independence.

Regarding the membership fee to be paid by Indonesia, Prasetyo said it represents part of the country’s commitment. Indonesia is required to pay a USD 1 billion fee to the Peace Board.

MUI Chairman for Foreign Relations and International Cooperation Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim rejected what he described as the “pseudo-peace” proposed by Trump, calling the Board of Peace a clear form of neocolonialism.

MUI Deputy Chairman KH M. Cholil Nafis firmly urged President Prabowo to withdraw Indonesia’s membership from the Peace Board. “The Board of Peace is clearly not on the side of Palestine,” he said.

He noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also a signatory to the Peace Board’s charter. “Israel, which is clearly an occupier, is included, while Palestine is absent,” Cholil said. (Naura Sofia/Lasti Martina)