UN rapporteur calls on Jakarta to step back from Gaza board

Indonesia should reconsider its involvement in US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan because it is being shaped by Israel and the US and lacks a Palestinian voice, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories told Reuters on Thursday.

Trump announced in January that he was setting up a "Board of Peace" to address global conflicts typically handled by the UN. Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, has said it would be a member of the new body and it has also pledged troops to be deployed to Gaza as part of an international stabilisation force.

Francesca Albanese, a human rights lawyer and UN special rapporteur known for her criticism of Israel, said in an interview in Jakarta that Indonesia has historically supported the Palestinian cause but joining the board was dangerous.

Indonesia's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that its Board of Peace discussions remained on hold, reiterating its earlier position.

A number of Western capitals have criticised Albanese, while the US has imposed sanctions on her. 

"I understand (Indonesia's) good intentions. I still think that it's very dangerous, because it risks to normalise a very abnormal mechanism," she said. 

Albanese said that, legally, Israel could not have a role in determining the future of Palestinians.

Rights experts have criticised Trump's board for not including a Palestinian representative though it is meant to supervise the temporary governance of a Palestinian territory.

A board official rejected the suggestion that the Palestinians had been excluded, however, saying: "Palestinian leadership and ownership remain central to the process."

The official said Gaza's civilian administration and recovery efforts are led by the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, which is made up of Palestinian professionals from Gaza and led by former Palestinian Authority official Ali Shaath.

Albanese said: "Naming a few bureaucrats here and there is tokenism," without naming the NCAG professionals.

Indonesia, which backs a two-state solution and has repeatedly condemned Israeli violence, has drawn criticism from domestic Muslim groups for agreeing to join the board, which also counts Israel as a member.

President Prabowo Subianto has vowed to quit if it does not bring benefits to Palestinians, his office has previously said. 

Albanese said Indonesia risked compromising its close ties with Palestinians. "It's very risky to do so when the rules are set by Israel," she said.

Albanese recommended Jakarta join the Hague Group of countries, which includes South Africa and Indonesia's neighbour Malaysia and seeks to uphold international law and processes, including in the International Criminal Court over Israel's actions.

Trump's Gaza plan has stalled. A 2025 ceasefire secured the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, but efforts to disarm Hamas and secure an Israeli withdrawal have faltered, while Israeli forces continue near-daily attacks in Gaza.

Israel has denied accusations, including by a UN commission and international and Israeli rights groups, that it is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.