Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto Set To Make Historic Visit to Israel
Preparations are underway for the first-ever visit of an Indonesian president to Israel, in what would mark a historic milestone between the two nations. President Prabowo Subianto is expected to arrive Tuesday or Wednesday, according to sources familiar with the planning.
Behind the scenes, diplomatic and security officials have been coordinating details of the visit, which follows Subianto’s appearance at the Peace Summit in Sharm El Sheikh, where he attended sessions alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other world leaders. His trip to Israel would be the first by a leader of Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, which has never established formal relations with Jerusalem.
Subianto, who has previously expressed unexpectedly warm sentiments toward Israel, surprised many during his September address to the United Nations General Assembly when he called for global recognition of Israel’s right to security and concluded his speech with the Hebrew word “Shalom.” “We must also recognize, we must also respect, and we must also guarantee the safety and security of Israel,” he said. “Only then can we have real peace.”
Give the gift of hope
We practice what we preach:
accurate, fearless journalism. But we can't do it alone.
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
Join us.
Support The Media Line. Save democracy.
While Indonesia has traditionally maintained that normalization with Israel would come only after the creation of a Palestinian state, quiet contacts between the two governments have increased in recent years. Subianto’s visit, if confirmed, would signal a dramatic step toward open engagement after decades of limited back-channel communication.
The timing of the visit also coincides with Israel’s efforts to expand its diplomatic ties in Asia and the Middle East following the Trump-brokered ceasefire and hostage release agreement. Israeli officials see potential cooperation with Indonesia—home to more than 283 million people—as a significant development in regional diplomacy and economic outreach.
As part of preparations for the visit, Netanyahu earlier this week requested that his testimony in an ongoing court proceeding be postponed due to what he called “another diplomatic visit” not yet announced at the time. It has since been revealed that the unpublicized visit referred to was that of the Indonesian president.
Subianto’s expected arrival, following his participation in the Egyptian peace summit, marks a symbolic gesture of bridge-building between Jerusalem and Jakarta—one that could reshape future relations between Israel and the broader Muslim world.
