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| Southeast Asia |
| Indonesian president chants ‘Free Palestine’ during speech, nearly a year after sympathizing with Israel at UN |
| 2026-09-20 |
| [IsraelTimes] Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto chants “Free Palestine” at a speech in East Java, marking the 100th anniversary of the Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor Ponorogo Islamic boarding school. It comes almost a year after Subianto raised eyebrows by ending his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York with the word “Shalom.” The leader of the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, which has no formal relations with Israel — spoke in an unexpectedly sympathetic tone about the Jewish state during the speech, saying that the world must “recognize,” “respect” and “guarantee the safety and security of Israel. Only then can we have real peace.” Several outlets, including The Times of Israel, reported that Subianto was set to visit Israel after a ceasefire-hostage release deal was reached in Gaza in October. Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry issued clear denials of any such trip, affirming its longstanding support for the Palestinians in Gaza. Another source later told The Times of Israel that Subianto had approved the visit, but backed out once the plan leaked to the press, fearing backlash at home. In today’s speech, Subianto says “the continuing attacks against Palestinians should encourage Indonesia to build its national strength,” according to Indonesia’s Antara news agency. During the event, Palestinian Ambassador Abdulfattah A.K. Al-Sattari presents the Subianto with a keffiyeh. |
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