Points of Prabowo's Statement on Israel

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto stated that Indonesia will recognize Israel if they acknowledge Palestine as a sovereign state. This statement was made by Prabowo during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron of France to the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on May 28, 2025.

In front of Macron, Prabowo also praised France for supporting the independence of Palestine. "France will also continue to press for an immediate cessation of armed activities in Gaza," the Head of State said.

Below are the important points in Prabowo's statement on Israel-Palestine during the joint statement with Macron:

Palestine's Independence is the Only Solution to the Conflict Between the Two Countries

Prabowo stated that Indonesia fully supports the plans of France and Saudi Arabia to hold a high-level conference in June in New York, United States, to promote the 'Two-State Solution' and achieve peace in the Middle East.

However, according to Prabowo, the independence of Palestine is the definite solution to this humanitarian conflict. "The independence of the Palestinian nation is the only way to achieve true peace," he said.

Ready to Ensure Israel's Security if Palestine Acknowledges Sovereignty

At the same time, Prabowo also stated that Indonesia needs to acknowledge Israel as a sovereign state even though Indonesia fully supports Palestine's independence.
Prabowo emphasized that his government is ready to guarantee Israel's right to exist as a sovereign state if Palestine becomes independent. He also said that Israel will be taken care of and its security will be ensured.

"We also convey that Indonesia is ready to contribute peacekeeping forces in the region," said Prabowo.

Will Establish Diplomatic Relations

In addition to acknowledging Israel's sovereignty, Prabowo also said that Indonesia will establish diplomatic relations after Israel acknowledges Palestine. "As soon as Palestine is acknowledged by Israel, Indonesia is ready to acknowledge Israel and we are ready to establish diplomatic relations with Israel," Prabowo said in front of Macron.

Recap of Indonesia-Israel Relations

The news of normalizing relations between Indonesia and Israel surfaced in 2023. The Israeli media, Ynet, reported that the Israeli government and Indonesia had been in talks about normalizing relations for the past three months.

According to Ynet, Israel will stop its efforts to block Indonesia's membership in the OECD, known as the "rich country club," as a reward for the formal relations between the two countries.

Prior to this, Israel had hindered Indonesia's OECD membership efforts on the grounds of the lack of diplomatic relations. The Jewish Insider media also reported a similar issue. According to the media, President Joko Widodo and Eli Cohen as the Foreign Minister of Israel at that time had approved the final draft of the agreement to normalize relations between the two countries as a first step towards full diplomatic relations, according to sources.

At that time, Israel and Indonesia were reportedly planning to announce the normalization of relations in October 2023. However, they also considered the timing in November when Jokowi visited the White House in Washington D.C., United States.

The Presidential Palace, through the Special Staff Coordinator of the President Ari Dwipayana at that time, affirmed that the foreign media reports claiming that Indonesia had plans for official friendship relations with Israel were not true. "The information conveyed is completely untrue," said Ari Dwipayana in a short message received by Antara in Jakarta on Thursday, February 29, 2024.

The Indonesian Foreign Minister at that time, Retno Marsudi, reiterated the rejection of normalizing relations with Israel. She emphasized that Indonesia's position had not changed and would continue to support the independence of Palestine."From time to time, there are always parties saying that it is time for Indonesia to normalize. For us, our position is clear, as I have stated," explained Foreign Minister Retno at the Presidential Palace Complex, Jakarta, on Tuesday, April 16, 2024.

Eka Yudha and Savero Aristia Wienanto contributed to the writing of this article.

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