Hollow Rhetoric in Response to the Gaza Genocide

October 6, 2025 | 04:39 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Prabowo's speech at the United Nations did not touch on the roots of the problems in Gaza. Supporting Palestine while at the same time recognizing Israel.

PRESIDENT Prabowo Subianto’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly seemingly showed Indonesia as a defender of Palestine on the global political stage. Prabowo repeatedly condemned the humanitarian disaster and the suffering of civilians in the Gaza Strip, while supporting independence for Palestine.

At first glance, this seemed to be a heroic speech. But in substance, Prabowo’s statement on September 23, 2025, felt hollow. Prabowo failed to identify the roots of the problem in Gaza: structural violence and genocide. He did not explicitly name Israel as being responsible for this humanitarian problem despite the fact that this conflict requires legal accountability for the genocide in Gaza, as the number of victims continues to rise.

Two years after Israel’s invasion of Gaza, the Palestinian health authority records that around 65,000 people have been killed—most of them civilians, including women, children, and elderly people. This number is twice that mentioned by Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur for Palestine, in a report entitled Anatomy of a Genocide released in March 2024.

Hundreds of thousands of injured Palestinians cannot receive adequate treatment because hospitals have collapsed due to severe shortages of medical staff and medicines. Meanwhile, thousands of people are missing—probably buried beneath the ruins. A significant number of Gaza residents have died of starvation and dehydration. Away from Gaza, violence has also escalated across the West Bank.

Israel has been practicing structural oppression for decades. Using a blockade that has created an “open-air prison,” Israel has full control of Gaza’s airspace, waters and most of its land borders. This control determines who and what is allowed to enter and exit. This includes food, medicine, water, electricity, fuel and permitted retail goods, creating an economic dependency for the people of Gaza.

As a result, when Gaza is devastated by conflict, Israel severely restricts the entry of humanitarian aid and construction materials. Water and electricity can be cut off at any moment. These restrictions also significantly slow the reconstruction process, leaving thousands of families displaced because they are not permitted to rebuild their homes.

Indonesia should be tougher in its condemnation of the atrocities in Palestine. After being absent for 10 years, Indonesia has returned to the United Nations General Assembly. Unfortunately, Prabowo failed to express a clear stance on the genocide and the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza.

The stance earned praise from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Several Israeli media outlets also deemed Prabowo “wise” for not condemning Netanyahu. Prabowo was viewed as having successfully demonstrated balanced diplomacy by supporting both sides in the quest for peace.

Prabowo is indeed implementing a “twin-track diplomacy”: supporting Palestinian independence while recognizing Israel and guaranteeing its security. However, guaranteed security for Israel is often interpreted as strict control over Gaza, which fundamentally contradicts Palestinian sovereignty. Ensuring security for Israel without completely dismantling the 15-year-plus blockade strangling Gaza is not a balanced prerequisite and will not resolve the core problem.

Prabowo’s speech also ignored the rights of displaced people and failed to address decolonization: the unconditional dismantling of the blockade and an end to isolation. Yet, one of the core roots of the conflict is the occupation and colonization in the form of settlements. During the era of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, the security fence dividing Palestinian and Israeli settlements on the West Bank transformed into solid concrete walls. As a result, the Palestinian territory became disconnected enclaves. This blockade has also severed the connection between Gaza and the West Bank.

In contrast, Malaysia demonstrated a firm stance. Under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia has played a vital role in exposing Israel’s actions over the past two years. Along with other nations critical of Israel, Malaysia is demanding the suspension of Israel’s credentials at the UN.

Prabowo’s call for humanitarian aid and the deployment of a peacekeeping force suggests he is focusing on the symptoms rather than the cause of the Gaza tragedy. As a former general with a dark history tied to alleged activist abductions and human rights violations, Prabowo appeared to falter whenever he spoke about humanitarianism, both at the domestic and international levels. However, a firm stance is what we expect from a head of state.

Read the Complete Story in Tempo English Magazine

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