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

The event took place during an official reception marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the renowned Islamic boarding school Gontor in eastern Indonesia.

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto voiced strong support for the Palestinians on Saturday, calling the situation in Gaza a source of deep pain and declaring “Free Palestine!” during a major Islamic gathering, months after he said Israel’s security must be recognized as part of achieving Middle East peace.

The event took place during an official reception marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the renowned Islamic boarding school Gontor in eastern Indonesia.

'They are being massacred, bombed, and attacked continuously'

In his speech, Subianto spoke of his feelings over the situation in the Gaza Strip, saying: “I remember our brothers and sisters in Palestine. They are being massacred, bombed, and attacked continuously, and it seems that we are powerless to help them.”

He called on the younger generation and religious leaders to strengthen Indonesia’s independence, allowing the country to stand alongside oppressed peoples around the world and avoid being subject to the dictates of foreign powers.

The display marked a sharp contrast with the moderate and pragmatic tone Subianto adopted just last year. In a speech at the UN General Assembly in 2025, he surprised capitals across the Muslim world by declaring that “we must recognize, respect and guarantee the security of Israel in order to achieve true peace in the Middle East.”

At the time, reports said Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, was considering steps toward normalization with Israel, partly as part of its process of joining the OECD. Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry denied at the time that normalization with Israel was a condition for joining the organization.

Eight thousand troops for Gaza

However, amid stalled negotiations and continued fighting, Jakarta appears to have moved away from messages of reconciliation and toward more active involvement in support of the Palestinians.

In February, Subianto attended the inaugural meeting of the “Peace Council” in Washington, where he announced that his government intended to deploy around 8,000 Indonesian troops to serve as a central peacekeeping force in the Gaza Strip.

In March, the Indonesian government announced that the deployment had been suspended indefinitely due to the regional escalation.