Stories From Indonesia

President Prabowo Subianto and President El-Sisi
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Gaza Peace Summit, Indonesia’s Armed Forces Instructed to Ready Peacekeeping Forces, Kompas.com

“…the invitation underscored the necessity of President Prabowo’s presence as part of ongoing negotiations…”

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Gaza Peace Summit, Indonesia’s Armed Forces Instructed to Ready Peacekeeping Forces, Kompas.com

By Haryanti Puspa Sari, Novianti Setuningsih for Kompas.com, October 13, 2025

Jakarta, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto has directed the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) to prepare for a potential deployment of peacekeeping troops, following his recent speech at the United Nations General Assembly about Indonesia’s preparedness to send 20,000 soldiers. This announcement coincided with his invitation to attend the Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt on Monday.

Contingent

The Minister for the State Secretariat, Prasetyo, emphasized that this directive to prepare troops is a commitment contingent on the successful negotiation of a peace agreement in Gaza.

“The President has made it clear that if a positive agreement is reached, meaning peace, one of the outcomes will be Indonesia’s participation in sending peacekeeping troops,” Prasetyo said following a limited meeting at Prabowo’s residence in Jakarta.

He also noted the presence of the Deputy Commander of the TNI, who is tasked with beginning preparations for the potential deployment. “It is entirely possible that Indonesia will again offer to send peacekeeping troops to the Gaza Peace Summit,” Prasetyo added. “If a constructive agreement is achieved, we believe this direction is feasible.”

Unexpected Invitation

Prabowo departed for Egypt Sunday evening to attend the summit. Prasetyo disclosed that the invitation to the President was extended unexpectedly. However, Prabowo opted to travel to pursue peace efforts in Gaza. “This evening, the President informed us he received a special invitation yesterday,” Prasetyo explained. “The timing was somewhat abrupt, but the invitation underscored the necessity of President Prabowo’s presence as part of ongoing negotiations that, we hope, will ultimately bring peace to Palestine and Gaza.”

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (L) beside his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi in Cairo on 12 April 2025 [Social media/@prabowo]

UN Security Council

Earlier, during the general debate at the 80th UN General Assembly, Prabowo reaffirmed Indonesia’s willingness to deploy 20,000 peacekeepers to conflict zones, including Gaza. “Should the UN Security Council and this assembly decide, Indonesia is prepared to deploy 20,000 or more of our sons and daughters to help secure peace in Gaza and elsewhere,” he affirmed. “Whether in Ukraine, Sudan, or Libya, wherever peace is needed, we are ready to shoulder that responsibility.”

Offers of Financial Support for Peace

President Subianto has also expressed Indonesia’s readiness to not only deploy peacekeeping troops, but also to provide financial assistance to support the United Nations’ efforts to achieve peace. “We are prepared to contribute financially to support the UN’s major mission for peace, alongside our sons and daughters,” he said.

Gaza Conference

The Gaza Peace Summit, coordinated by U.S. President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, is set to take place on Monday, October 13, 2025. Official statements from the Egyptian presidency indicate that leaders from over 20 countries will attend the summit. The primary objectives are to end the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, enhance peace and stability in the Middle East, and initiate a new phase of regional security.

“The meeting aligns with President Trump’s vision for peace in the region and his continuous efforts to resolve conflicts globally,” the statement elaborated, as reported by Antaranews.

donald trump meets egypts president too
Donald Trump Meets Egypt’s President Too [Source: The Guardian]

Arrives in Cairo for Gaza Peace Summit

President Subianto landed at Sharm El-Sheikh International Airport in Egypt on Monday, October 13, 2025, to attend the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit. According to a press release from the Presidential Secretariat, the Garuda Indonesia-1 plane carrying the President and a small entourage arrived at approximately 7:00 a.m. local time.

During his visit to Cairo, Prabowo is scheduled to witness the signing of a peace agreement aimed at halting hostilities in Gaza. A number of prominent leaders will be present at the summit, including U.S. President Donald Trump, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Also in attendance will be Saudi Arabian Prime Minister Muhammad bin Salman Al Saud and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Upon his arrival, Prabowo was warmly welcomed by Egyptian Presidential official Mohammed Mokhtar, Indonesian Ambassador to Egypt Lutfi Rauf, and Navy Colonel Dafris D. Syahruddin, the Defense Attaché at the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo. He was accompanied by Foreign Minister Sugiono and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya during his journey from Jakarta to Cairo.

This post is based on https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2025/10/13/08571661/prabowo-hadiri-ktt-perdamaian-gaza-minta-tni-siapkan-pasukan-perdamaian and https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2025/10/13/12365071/prabowo-tiba-di-kairo-untuk-hadiri-ktt-perdamaian-gaza. Featured image credit: President Prabowo Subianto and President El-Sisi visit Military Academy of Egypt in Cairo, Saturday (04/12). (Photo: BPMI of the Presidential Secretariat) https://setkab.go.id/en/president-prabowo-president-el-sisi-visit-military-academy-of-egypt/.

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In earlier news…

Indonesian Muslims Divided over Prabowo’s Gaza Plan, Fulcrum

By Ary Hermawan for ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute’s Fulcrum Magazine, May 8, 2025

President Prabowo Subianto’s proposal on 9 April 2025 that his country temporarily shelter 1,000 injured Palestinians on humanitarian grounds has drawn strong criticism from several Indonesian Muslim leaders. They see the idea as poorly thought out, and worse, it potentially aligns with a much-decried plan pushed by the US and Israel to empty the Gaza Strip for development and tourism.

The controversy is unlikely to stop Prabowo from carrying out Indonesia’s proposal, as the chairmen of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, the nation’s two largest Islamic organisations, have publicly endorsed it. This was despite genuine concerns raised by some high-profile members of both organisations; the chairs’ support indicates Prabowo’s ability to retain the loyalty of his core Muslim allies… (Baca selengkapnya di https://fulcrum.sg/indonesian-muslims-divided-over-prabowos-gaza-plan/.)

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OIC-Arab League Meeting: Indonesia is Ready to Provide Medical Care for Gazans Injured in the War

By Singgih Wiryono, Dita Angga Rusiana for Kompas.com April 12, 2025

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono said Indonesia was ready to evacuate Gaza residents who have been wounded during the war. FM Sugiono said this at a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Arab League in Antalya, Türkiye, on Friday, April 11, 2025.

“FM Sugiono also said Indonesia was willing to provide medical treatment for Palestinians wounded and traumatized by the war,” wrote Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday, April 12, 2025.

The evacuation would be carried out, FM Sugiono said, should all stakeholders agree. For this reason, Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto, also on a visit to the Middle East, is conducting consultations with a number of Middle Eastern leaders.

At the meeting, FM Sugiono also affirmed Indonesia’s support for realizing Palestinian independence based on a two-state solution. “The meeting agreed on the joint statement of the Antalya Ministerial Meeting for the Implementation of the Two State Solution and Lasting Peace in the Middle East,” Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry wrote.

Previously, President Subianto stated that Indonesia is ready to evacuate residents of Gaza, Palestine, who have been injured as a result of the brutal attacks in the region for treatment in Indonesia. “We are also ready to receive victimes injured, and would immediately send the Foreign Minister to discuss this with the Palestinian government, with the local authorities about how to go about this so we are ready to evacuate the injured,” Prabowo said. Indonesia’s Head of State said that any injured Palestinian resident was allowed to receive treatment in Indonesia, including orphans and residents traumatized by the attacks.

“We are ready to send planes to transport them. We estimate that perhaps the number would be 1,000 in the first wave,” said Prabowo. After recovering and the situation in Gaza is conducive, the Palestinian residents would return to the place they were from. “They would only be here temporarily until they recover. And when they had recovered and were healthy again, and the condition in Gaza made it possible, they would have to return to their place they were from. I think that is the Indonesian government’s stance,” President Prabowo explained.

This post is based on https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2025/04/12/14405441/di-forum-oki-liga-arab-indonesia-nyatakan-siap-rawat-korban-perang-gaza

Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono attends the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) conference in Antalya, Türkiye, Friday (04/11/2025). (Photo credit: Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

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Trump Sarankan Warga Palestina Tinggalkan Gaza Agar Wilayah Bisa “Dibersihkan”

Emma Graham-Harrison, Yerusalem, Minggu, 26 Januari 2025, The Guardian

Presiden AS, Donald Trump, menyarankan agar warga Palestina dalam jumlah besar meninggalkan Gaza guna “membersihkan” wilayah tersebut. Pernyataan ini muncul setelah ia memerintahkan kelanjutan pengiriman bom seberat 2.000 pon ke Israel.

Berbicara di pesawat Air Force One setelah melakukan panggilan telepon dengan Raja Abdullah dari Yordania pada hari Sabtu, Trump mengusulkan pemindahan ini bisa bersifat “sementara atau jangka panjang.”

“Saya ingin bekerja sama dengan beberapa negara Arab untuk membangun perumahan di lokasi lain, di mana mereka bisa hidup damai,” ujarnya kepada wartawan. “[Hanya] ada sekitar satu setengah juta orang. Kita bersihkan wilayah itu dan, toh: ‘Selesai sudahlah.’”

Gaza saat ini dihuni oleh 2,3 juta penduduk. Trump mengaku telah meminta Raja Abdullah untuk menerima lebih banyak pengungsi Palestina. Yordania sendiri sudah menampung sekitar 2,4 juta pengungsi Palestina, mayoritas dari mereka adalah keturunan keluarga yang dibersihkan oleh Israel saat negara itu didirikan pada tahun 1948.

“Saya bilang padanya: Saya ingin Anda menerima lebih banyak orang, karena sekarang ini saya melihat Jalur Gaza dan itu benar-benar kacau. Saya ingin dia menerima mereka,” kata Trump.

Trump juga menyebut Mesir sebagai tujuan pengusiran dan berencana membahas hal ini dengan pemimpin Mesir Presiden Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Sejak perang pecah pada tanggal 7 Oktober 2023, Mesir berulang kali menegaskan penolakannya terhadap pengusiran paksa warga Palestina dari Jalur Gaza dan telah memperketat penjagaan di perbatasannya. Presiden Sisi menegaskan bahwa memaksa pengungsi ke Sinai akan membahayakan hubungan dengan Israel, termasuk Perjanjian Damai 1979.

Mustafa Barghouti, politisi senior Palestina, dengan tegas menolak pernyataan Trump. Dalam pernyataannya kepada kantor berita Ma’an, ia menyebutnya sebagai upaya “pembersihan etnis” terhadap penduduk Jalur Gaza. “Rakyat Palestina bertekad untuk tetap tinggal di tanah air mereka,” katanya.

Di dalam Israel sendiri, seruan untuk pengursiran paksa warga Gaza semakin kencang disuarakan sejak perang dimulainya.

Pernyataan Trump disambut baik oleh politisi sayap kanan ekstrim yang mendukung pendudukan Jalur Gaza oleh kaum Yahudi. Menteri Keuangan Israel, Bezalel Smotrich, menyebut ide Trump sebagai “gagasan luar biasa” dan mengatakan bahwa ia akan bekerja sama dengan perdana menteri serta kabinet Israel untuk menyusun “rencana operasional” guna mewujudkannya secepat mungkin.

Sebelum Trump menjabat kembali, seorang pejabat dari tim transisinya mengatakan bahwa pemerintahannya sedang mempertimbangkan pengusiran dua juta warga Palestina sebagai bagian dari rekonstruksi Jalur Gaza jika gencatan senjata tetap berlaku. Indonesia disebut sebagai salah satu tujuan potensial, meskipun juru bicara pemerintah Indonesia mengaku belum menerima informasi terkait rencana tersebut.

Hingga kini, Trump belum memaparkan visi apa pun mengenai masa depan Jalur Gaza pascaperang. Namun, saat menandatangani ketetapan presiden setelah pelantikannya, ia menggambarkan negara Gaza sebagai prospek real estat yang menarik, dengan lokasi tepi laut dan cuaca yang baik.

“Saya melihat foto Gaza, itu seperti proyek pembongkaran besar-besaran,” ujarnya Selasa lalu. “Tempat itu harus dibangun kembali dengan cara yang berbeda.”

Pemerintah Qatar, yang berperan sebagai mediator dalam jeda pertempuran di Gaza, menegaskan bahwa “semua rencana yang mengarah pada relokasi atau pendudukan ulang” adalah garis merah yang tidak dapat dilewati.

Pemerintahan baru Trump telah menjanjikan “dukungan tanpa syarat” kepada negara Israel. Posisi strategis dalam pemerintahan kini diisi oleh pendukung garis keras perluasan Israel, termasuk duta besar AS untuk PBB. Dalam siding konfirmasinya di Senat AS, duta besar tersebut menyatakan bahwa ia menganggap Israel memiliki “hak berdasarkan Alkitab” atas Tepi Barat, wilayah yang diduduki Israel sejak Perang 1967 namun diakui oleh mayoritas dunia sebagai bagian dari negara Palestina di masa depan.

Pada Sabtu, Trump juga mengumumkan dimulainya kembali pengiriman bom seberat 2.000 pon ke Israel, keputusan yang telah lama diantisipasi. Presiden Biden sebelumnya menghentikan pengiriman bom jenis ini karena kekhawatiran atas tingginya jumlah korban penduduk sipil di Gaza, mengingat daya ledaknya yang mampu menembus beton tebal dan struktur logam dalam radius luas.

Ketika ditanya mengapa ia kembali mengirimkan bom-bom tersebut, Trump menjawab sinis: “Karena mereka membelinya.”

Pemerintahan Biden sebelumnya telah mengirimkan ribuan bom jenis ini ke Israel sebelum akhirnya menghentikan pengiriman tahun lalu.

This article is based on https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/26/trump-resumes-sending-2000-pound-bombs-to-israel-undoing-biden-pause.

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