JakartaPost-Oct 15, 2025
President Prabowo Subianto’s appearance at the Gaza peace summit co-initiated by United States President Donald Trump has drawn the public’s attention for the wrong reasons, amid concerns of a shift in Indonesian foreign policy and a “hot mic” moment that may reveal the extent of top-level business ties. Prabowo joined more than 20 world leaders at the peace summit on Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Monday to witness the signing of the Gaza ceasefire agreement brokered by President Trump and previously agreed upon by Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas. The deal was signed by Trump, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, who will act as guarantors to the ceasefire deal. The agreement was often deemed as a step to ending Israel’s two-year-long military campaign in Gaza which has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to figures from Palestinian officials. The invasion was a retaliation for Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which the group also took hundreds of Israeli hostages. A United Nations commission previously concluded that Israel’s killings in Gaza amount to a genocide, leading to further calls and pressure from the international world to end the military offensive. Transit in Tel Aviv? When Prabowo was in Egypt, reports surfaced among prominent Israeli news outlets, such as Channel 12 television station, that Prabowo would visit Israel after the peace summit. The reports swiftly sparked a backlash on social media. Foreign Minister Sugiono immediately rebuked the news on Monday, calling the reports “untrue”. “As per our official schedule, the President will return home after completing his agenda in Egypt,” said the minister, who accompanied the President during the trip. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/world/2025/10/15/government-denies-prabowo-ever-intended-to-visit-israel.html.
