When the US-Israeli attack on Iran was launched last weekend, an unexpected peace broker emerged in the form of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, leader of the world’s largest Muslim country. The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on social media: “Indonesia calls on all parties to exercise restraint and to prioritize dialogue and diplomacy. If agreed by both parties, the President of Indonesia is prepared to travel to Tehran to carry out mediation.”
However, President Prabowo’s offer to help mediate between the sides has provoked debate across Indonesia, coming at a time of increased criticism of his approach to foreign policy and warm ties with the Trump administration. Indonesia’s former deputy foreign minister and former ambassador to the US, Dino Patti Djalal, said in a statement on Instagram: “I’m puzzled as to why this idea wasn’t vetted before being made public. It is highly unrealistic.” Others agreed, adding that the offer could further alienate Indonesians already wary of the president’s perceived cordial relationship with US President Donald Trump.
In recent months, Prabowo has faced domestic scrutiny after volunteering to deploy 8,000 Indonesian troops to Gaza as part of an International Stabilization Force under the umbrella of Trump’s Board of Peace (BOP) – a so-called “international peacekeeping” organization of which Israel is also a member. Indonesia does not have any formal diplomatic relations with Israel and has long supported an independent Palestine. Joining Trump’s board and offering to participate in the US president’s plan for Gaza has not been well-received domestically. Experts said that Indonesia’s membership in Trump’s Board of Peace amid Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and now the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran, could present an unprecedented test for Prabowo’s approach to foreign policy.
Indonesia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sugiono said in a post on social media on Wednesday that Prabowo had expressed his deepest condolences to Iranian President Masoud Pezehkian on “the passing” of Khamenei. While Indonesia has entrenched support for Palestine, the relationship with Iran is more complicated. About 87 percent of the country’s 270 million population follows Islam, and the majority of Indonesia’s Muslims are Sunni. Iran has the world’s largest Shia population, which follows a different branch of Islamic theology. Researcher Made Supriatma noted that many Indonesians sympathize with Iran, but not always out of solidarity with fellow Muslims; rather, it is due to anti-Israel and anti-American sentiment, which has long been high.
The Iranian ambassador to Indonesia, Mohammad Boroujerdi, welcomed the offer of mediation at a news conference on Monday but explained that “no steps” had been taken to make it a reality and lamented that negotiations would likely be fruitless. He said: “We believe that currently, no negotiations and discussions with the American government will be useful, because they are not bound and do not adhere to any outcomes.” Researcher Supriatma said the president appears to be trying to garner support from members of Indonesia’s political elite. On Tuesday, Prabowo convened a meeting attended by former presidents, vice presidents, and political leaders to assess the geopolitical and economic impact of the Iranian conflict. Following the meeting, Indonesia’s former Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda told local media that Prabowo was willing to “evaluate” Indonesia’s role in Trump’s peace board after the latest events in Iran.
Source: www.aljazeera.com