Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto restated Indonesia’s plan to establish ties with Israel under the condition that it recognizes Palestinian statehood during a much-anticipated speech to the United Nations.

Prabowo is currently in New York to make his UN debut after a decade-long absence by an Indonesian leader. On Tuesday local time, France and Saudi Arabia co-hosted a high-level session on the two-state solution, the internationally recognized plan to resolve the Gaza crisis. This solution calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state that exists alongside Israel. It was in this session that Prabowo repeated Indonesia’s intentions to start diplomatic ties with Israel if Palestine gains the statehood that it deserves.

“We must guarantee statehood for Palestine, but Indonesia also declares that once Israel recognizes the independence and statehood of Palestine, Indonesia will immediately recognize the state of Israel,” Prabowo addressed the world leaders.

“We will support all guarantees for the security of Israel,” Prabowo said -- a statement that got applause in the room.

"Statehood must mean peace. Recognition must mean a real chance towards lasting peace. It must be real peace for all sides."

In the earlier part of his remarks, Prabowo said that the countries convening in the summit were there to take a their historical responsibility "that speaks not only to the fate of Palestine, but also the future of Israel and the very credibility of the UN."

Prabowo's microphone, however, got cut off immediately after he promised that Indonesia would stand “ready” to provide peacekeeping forces. In parts after his microphone is back on, Prabowo ended his speech by saying, “peace now. Peace immediately. We need peace.”

The Foreign Ministry later clarified that the session had a rule of procedure that every country had 5 minutes to make a statement. Any speaker that is beyond the alloted time will have the microphone turned off. Despite the radio silence in the livestream, the ministry told reporters that the delegates were able to hear Prabowo's speech.

This was not the first time for Prabowo to make the normalization talk. He made a similar statement when he hosted French President Emmanuel Macron in Jakarta back in May, during which he said that Israel had “the right to stand as a sovereign country”. His statement made international headlines, while sparking concerns over Indonesia’s shift in its foreign policy. The government said at the time that this should be of no issue as the Israel recognition only came after the two-state solution had been reached.

Indonesia has not formed official relations with Israel, although they have been doing business, according to the Trade Ministry’s database. Indonesia-Israel trade even rose from $187.7 million in 2023 to $237.9 million the following year. January-July 2025 trade also saw a year-on-year growth (yoy) of 18.77 percent. Trade reached $165.7 million in the first seven months of 2025, up from $139.5 million last year. 

Israel’s biggest ally US has barred Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from attending the New York forum by refusing to grant his visa. The UN has now allowed Abbas to address the world leaders’ annual gathering by video conference. Palestine is also seeing waves of Western nations such as France, Canada, and the UK recognizing its statehood.

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