JAKARTA - President Prabowo Subianto's speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States, September 23, 2025, became a new chapter in the direction of Indonesia's foreign policy, especially regarding the Middle East.
After 80 years of independence with seven presidents, Indonesia has never been open about Israel's existence. But in New York that day, Prabowo started it.
Speaking confidently on the podium, Prabowo expressed Indonesia's commitment to peace in Gaza. In fact, he promised to send 20 thousand peacekeepers to the war-torn region.
Unexpectedly, Prabowo also asked world leaders to maintain Israel's security, before finally closing his speech with the word "shalom". The typical Jewish greeting actually violates the tradition of pro-Palestinian solidarity that Indonesia has always chanted.
"In conclusion, I would like to reiterate Indonesia's full support for the Two-State Solution in Palestine. We must have a free Palestine, but we must also recognize and guarantee the security and safety of Israel. Only in this way can we achieve true peace: peace without hatred, peace without suspicion," said the 8th President of Indonesia in his speech in English.
Prabowo's speech not only won praise from the President of the United States, Donald Trump. The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been cursed by many world leaders, also praised Prabowo's speech.
Due to the speech, rumors spread that Prabowo would visit Israel, as reported by several media in the country.
"Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will arrive in Israel tomorrow, marking the first visit of a head of state from Jakarta to Israel, according to sources familiar with the details," the Times of Israel reported on October 14, 2025.
But the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs through Minister Sugiono hurriedly denied rumors about Prabowo's plan to visit there.
"It's not true. According to the initial plan, the President will return home after the event in Egypt is completed," said Sugiono after accompanying Prabowo at the Gaza Peace Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025.
And indeed, Prabowo and his entourage finally arrived back in Indonesia, via Halim Perdanakusuma Airport on October 14, 2025.
Two Driving FactorsQuoted from the analysis of Ahmad Rizky M Umar, a doctoral student at Aberystwyth University in Wales, England, there are two driving factors that make Prabowo look close to Israel. Especially when he signed on January 22 to participate in Indonesia in the Board of Peace (BoP), the Peace Council for Gaza, which was formed by US President Donald Trump.
First, Prabowo's affinity with Israel has actually been woven for quite some time. Second, the ambition to maintain close relations with Trump.
Prabowo's closeness to Israel is a public secret. The Israeli media, The Jerusalem Post, in 2022 reported that Prabowo had tried to use agricultural cooperation as a means of normalization. In his capacity as Minister of Defense, Prabowo reportedly met with the Israeli National Security Advisor, Eyal Hulata, and the business authority in Bahrain, Itay Tagner.
Trump's election as US President provided further incentive for Prabowo's ambition to play a greater role in international politics. Prabowo met Trump when he visited the United States in 2024 before the inauguration of the US President. Trump praised Prabowo for his fluency in English.
Although Prabowo did not abandon Indonesia's involvement with China, he saw an opportunity to engage with Trump's new right-wing alliance, which also includes Netanyahu.
However, it is still unclear whether Prabowo's new foreign policy ambitions will bear fruit. Although Indonesia is gradually entering the Gaza negotiation circle, its role is still limited. Egypt and Qatar still play a key role, along with the US.
Prabowo's promise to send 20,000 peacekeepers is also uncertain, because Israel and Hamas are still exchanging fire to this day.
Put aside the ASEAN AffairsSince the era of Suharto, Indonesia has consistently prioritized regional issues by positioning ASEAN as the core of Indonesia's foreign policy.
Regarding affairs with Middle Eastern countries, Indonesia does interact. But usually it uses regional and international organizations to do so, especially the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). Indonesia is a leading member of that organization.
In his speech as the Indonesian President at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) discussion forum in Jakarta, November 13, 2023, Prabowo outlined his foreign policy approach as "good neighbor policy". He used the slogan, "a thousand friends are too few, one enemy is too many".
The Prabowo and Gerindra Party campaign manifesto outlines a more ambitious "post-ASEAN" foreign policy approach. They consider ASEAN as an outdated and limited foreign policy framework, and aspire to a stronger foreign policy to protect national security and sovereignty outside the Indonesian region.
Prabowo took the risk of not focusing on ASEAN, to project a global role for Indonesia. But realistically, Indonesia does not have the credibility or ability for such a role, especially because Prabowo is also trying to spend trillions of rupiah to fund expensive populist policies such as the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program.
In an increasingly uncertain international order, it is possible that Prabowo Subianto's gamble will eventually pay off. As long as Trump recognizes Indonesia as a new partner. But if he fails to materialize it, it can seriously impact Indonesia's position in ASEAN.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
