Prabowo reasserts Indonesia’s support for Palestine with ‘Free Palestine’ call

JAKARTA - President Prabowo Subianto has reasserted Indonesia’s support for Palestine, months after Indonesia joined the United States-led Board of Peace, a move that drew scrutiny at home, and amid a series of Palestine- and Israel-related developments in the country.Speaking on Sept 19 at the centenary celebrations of the Darussalam Gontor Islamic boarding school in Ponorogo, East Java, one of Indonesia’s oldest and most influential Islamic schools, Mr Prabowo repeatedly shouted “Free Palestine”, with thousands in the audience echoing his call.Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia Abdalfatah A.K. Alsattari then approached the stage and draped a keffiyeh around Mr Prabowo’s shoulders. The Indonesian leader embraced him and later appeared to wipe his eyes with the scarf.Prabowo said the plight of Palestinians was a reminder of the need for Indonesia to become a stronger country.“I was reminded of our brothers and sisters in Palestine. They are being massacred, they are being bombed, they are being attacked continuously, and we seem to be powerless to help them,” he said.More than 73,900 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Oct 7, 2023, the Gaza health authorities say, when Israel launched its military campaign following an attack led by Palestinian militant group Hamas that killed about 1,200 people, according to Israeli figures. A ceasefire took effect in October 2025, though Israeli strikes have continued.Prabowo urged Indonesians, particularly young people, to study hard and help build a stronger nation. “A nation that is not strong will be trampled on by other nations,” he said.The remarks drew attention in Israeli media. The Times of Israel on Sept 19 contrasted Mr Prabowo’s “Free Palestine” chants with his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025, when he said the world must “recognise, respect and guarantee the safety and security of Israel” as part of achieving peace.The remarks come amid a series of Palestine- and Israel-related developments in Indonesia in recent weeks.On Sept 9, the Higher Education Ministry and national zakat agency Baznas launched a 22 billion rupiah (S$1.57 million) scholarship programme for 200 Palestinian students to pursue master’s degrees at Indonesian universities.Baznas said the programme was aimed at Palestinians who had completed their undergraduate studies and wanted to continue their education in Indonesia.Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, has long supported an independent Palestinian state and does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.The sensitivity surrounding any perceived links with Israel surfaced again around Sept 18, when social media users questioned why Israel’s University of Haifa appeared among exchange options in the academic system of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), one of Indonesia’s leading universities.ITB said on Sept 20 that it has no cooperation with any Israeli university, including for student exchanges.It said the University of Haifa appeared because its internal academic system, known as SIX, automatically incorporates databases from international networks such as QS World University Rankings, Global Engineering Education Exchange and Erasmus.“The list of university names on the system interface is only reference data and in no way indicates any programme cooperation that will be carried out,” ITB said.Prabowo’s latest remarks also come months after his government faced criticism over its decision to join US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, which was set up to oversee Gaza’s transition and reconstruction.The President attended the board’s inaugural meeting in Washington on Feb 19, where Indonesia pledged up to 8,000 personnel to an International Stabilisation Force for Gaza.The move drew criticism from religious groups, academics and former diplomats at home, with some questioning whether joining the US-led body was consistent with Indonesia’s longstanding position on Palestine.Prabowo defended the move, saying Indonesia had joined to help Palestinians and could withdraw if the initiative did not benefit them.But Indonesia put discussions with the Board of Peace on hold in March following the escalation of the US-Israel conflict with Iran.On March 17, the government also indefinitely postponed plans to deploy the 8,000 personnel to Gaza, citing the worsening security situation in the Middle East.Prabowo later said Indonesian troops would not take part in military action against Hamas, and that their intended role was to protect civilians and support humanitarian operations. He said the deployment remained on hold because of the wider Middle East conflict.The Board of Peace has since pressed ahead with its Gaza plan.A roadmap announced in July called for Hamas to disarm alongside a phased Israeli withdrawal, with an international force securing areas vacated by Israeli troops, though disagreements over how the plan should be implemented remain unresolved.