Indonesia is preparing to send 1,000 troops to Gaza by early April as part of a peacekeeping mission, with 8,000 soldiers ready for posting by June, army spokesman Donny Pramono said on Monday.
Mr Pramono said the final posting decision will be made by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who is preparing to head to Washington for the first official meeting of the Board of Peace, chaired by US President Donald Trump, on February 19.
“The departure schedule remains entirely subject to the political decisions of the state and applicable international mechanisms,” Mr Pramono told Reuters.
Last week, Jakarta's Army Chief of Staff Gen Maruli Simanjuntak said he was preparing to send troops to Gaza, but that the proposal was still in the early stages, with details on troop numbers and posting terms to come after “further co-ordination”.
The US last month announced the beginning of phase two of Mr Trump's 20-point Gaza peace plan. It includes the establishment of a Board of Peace, charged with overseeing the ceasefire, and an international stabilisation force charged with training Palestinian security forces and keeping the peace. The force is also expected to play a role in disarming Hamas.
Indonesia had expressed its willingness to contribute troops to the peacekeeping force. During his speech to the UN General Assembly in September, the Indonesian President said his country could send 20,000 soldiers to Gaza if the UN authorised the mission.
The UN Security Council voted in November in favour of the US-backed plan for Gaza.
The Board of Peace is expected to hold its first official meeting on Gaza this week, after it was unveiled last month at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Jakarta is a member of the board and will use it “to fight for the protection of Palestinians, promote the recovery of Gaza, and push for sustainable peace based on the two-state solution”, said Indonesia's Foreign Ministry representative Vahd Nabyl Achmad Mulachela.
Indonesia has said that being on the Board of Peace with Israel does not mean a normalisation of ties. Its comments came after Israel accepted membership during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington last week.
“Indonesia’s presence in the Board of Peace cannot be interpreted as a normalisation of political ties with any party, or as a legitimacy to a certain country’s policy,” Mr Mulachela told Indonesian media.
“Indonesia believes that involving the parties in conflict is part of the pathway to peace. As a member, we will make sure every process is oriented towards Palestinians’ interests,” he added.
