Indonesia’s President Prabowo shifts tone, voices public support for Palestinians

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto voiced strong support for the Palestinians on Saturday, declaring "Free Palestine!" during a major Islamic gathering. This marks a shift from his 2025 UN speech where he said Israel's security must be recognized for Middle East peace. The event took place at the 100th anniversary of the Gontor Islamic boarding school.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto delivered a forceful pro-Palestinian speech on Saturday, declaring "Free Palestine!" at a gathering marking the 100th anniversary of the Gontor Islamic boarding school in eastern Indonesia. The address marks a significant tonal shift from his 2025 UN General Assembly speech, where he surprised Muslim-majority nations by stating that Israel's security must be recognized and guaranteed to achieve Middle East peace. At the Gontor event, Subianto described Palestinians as "being massacred, bombed, and attacked continuously" and expressed feelings of powerlessness to help them. He called on Indonesia's younger generation and religious leaders to strengthen national independence so the country can stand alongside oppressed peoples without being subject to foreign dictates. The shift comes amid stalled Gaza negotiations and continued fighting. In February 2026, Subianto attended the inaugural "Peace Council" meeting in Washington and announced plans to deploy approximately 8,000 Indonesian troops as a peacekeeping force in Gaza. However, in March the Indonesian government suspended the deployment indefinitely due to regional escalation. Reports had previously indicated Indonesia was considering normalization steps with Israel partly to facilitate OECD membership, though the Foreign Ministry denied normalization was a condition for joining.