Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Dr. Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat
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Indonesia and Kuwait: A friendship stuck in neutral
On 31 October, 2025, Indonesia’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Anis Matta concluded a working visit to Kuwait City that quietly underscored a larger truth: despite 57 years of formal ties and a year since President Prabowo Subianto took office, Indonesia’s relationship with Kuwait has yet to move beyond polite…
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The ASEAN summit’s embrace of Trump’s Gaza plan is a moral failure
When the leaders of Southeast Asia gathered in Malaysia this week for the 47th ASEAN Summit, their message to the world was unmistakable: they support President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan. In a moment that should have demanded moral clarity, ASEAN instead chose political convenience. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim,…
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Indonesia should not bow to the IOC over its Palestine stance
The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to freeze dialogue with Indonesia and urge sports federations not to hold events in Jakarta exposes a troubling hypocrisy. Indonesia is being punished for refusing visas to Israeli athletes at the 2025 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships — a decision rooted not in hostility, but…
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Indonesia and Iraq: Quiet contacts, modest openings
Indonesia and Iraq rarely feature together in discussions of foreign policy. Their relationship has long been cordial but limited, defined more by polite exchanges than by active cooperation. In 2025, that pattern continued, though with a few modest steps suggesting a shared interest in keeping diplomatic and economic channels open.…
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How Israel’s disinformation exploits ambiguity in Indonesia’s Palestine stance
Indonesia has become the focus of a sophisticated Israeli disinformation campaign aimed at reshaping global perceptions of its stance on Israel and Palestine. The strategy is straightforward: amplify diplomatic ambiguity, manipulate perception, and create the impression that normalisation is inevitable, even before justice is secured. Recent events reveal how fragile…
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Why Prabowo’s presence at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit raises questions
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s recent appearance at the Gaza peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, was meant to convey international solidarity and a commitment to resolving one of the world’s most protracted and painful conflicts. Yet despite its diplomatic intentions, Prabowo’s attendance raises significant concerns—about both the summit’s legitimacy and…
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Indonesia should prioritise stronger ties with Oman
Indonesia and Oman do not often share the international spotlight. Yet over the past year, the two countries have steadily widened their engagement in ways that suggest a more structured partnership is within reach. The process began in January, when the Majelis Ulama Indonesia hosted a delegation of Omani scholars…
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Welcoming Israel to the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta betrays Indonesia’s stand for Palestine
Indonesia has long claimed moral high ground in the Palestinian struggle. At the recent United Nations General Assembly, President Prabowo Subianto reaffirmed Jakarta’s commitment to a two-state solution, condemned the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and framed Palestine’s freedom as inseparable from justice. And yet, just weeks later, Indonesia is preparing…
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Do Rothschild ties explain Prabowo’s cautious tone on Israel?
In late September, a billboard in Israel set off a storm of speculation in Jakarta. The giant display, featuring President Prabowo Subianto alongside Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mohammed bin Zayed, and other Middle Eastern leaders, proclaimed support for a regional peace plan. To Indonesian audiences, the image was jarring. Indonesia,…
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Indonesia’s risky bet on Trump’s Gaza Plan
When Donald Trump announced his 20-point plan to “end” the Gaza war, several Muslim-majority states rushed to endorse it. Among them was Indonesia, a nation long viewed as an unwavering supporter of Palestinian aspirations. Jakarta’s decision to back the proposal was framed as constructive diplomacy — a sign of readiness…
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Indonesia cannot condemn Gaza genocide while still silent on its use of Israeli spyware
When Indonesian president, Prabowo Subianto, rose at the United Nations General Assembly last week, his words carried moral weight. He declared unwavering solidarity with Palestine, condemning Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza, where hospitals are bombed, children are buried beneath rubble, and an entire people faces genocide in plain sight. Yet…
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Netanyahu quoted Prabowo. Indonesia should be ashamed
At the United Nations General Assembly this week, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto delivered a speech that many in Jakarta framed as a defense of Palestine. He described the catastrophe in Gaza, used the word “genocide,” and called for Palestinian statehood. Yet almost in the same breath, he added that Palestine’s…
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Unpacking Prabowo’s UN speech on Palestine
When Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto rose before world leaders at the United Nations yesterday, his voice carried the weight of history. He condemned the killing of civilians in Gaza, pledged humanitarian support, and reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to a two-state solution. The room rewarded him with applause. Yet behind the dignified…
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Universitas Indonesia takes steps toward stronger solidarity with Palestine
Only a month ago, Universitas Indonesia (UI) stood accused of moral collapse. At its graduate orientation, the nation’s premier university handed its stage to Peter Berkowitz — a man who has spent his career justifying Israel’s occupation and mocking those who stand with Palestine. I called it what it was:…
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Indonesia at the 2025 Arab–Islamic summit: Firm words, familiar mantra
When Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono rose to address the Arab–Islamic emergency summit in Doha last week, his words were forceful, familiar—and strangely unsatisfying. Representing President Prabowo Subianto, he condemned Israel’s 9 September airstrike on Qatar as a “gross violation of international law” and “a serious threat to regional and global…
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Prabowo’s September visit to the UAE: Pushing Indonesia deeper into the Middle East conversation?
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s landing in Abu Dhabi on 12 September was not simply another diplomatic stopover. Coming just days after Israel’s unprecedented airstrike on Doha—a strike that killed five Hamas delegates and a Qatari officer during cease-fire talks—his presence signalled that Indonesia intends to play a far more active…
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Indonesia’s stance on Israel’s strike on Qatar
When Israeli missiles struck a residential building in Doha this week, killing several Hamas members and a Qatari security officer, the explosions reverberated far beyond the Gulf. They were heard in Jakarta. Indonesia’s foreign ministry was among the first to condemn the unprecedented assault, describing it as a “serious violation…
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Indonesia’s flotilla of conscience
The sea is restless, and so is humanity. Into those waters now sails a flotilla not of warships, but of conscience. And at its heart are five Indonesian vessels—named after national heroes Soekarno, Diponegoro, Hasanuddin, Pati Unus, and Malahayati. These names come from centuries of resistance: a founding president, princes,…
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Indonesia aids Gaza — but only after Israel says yes
When two of Indonesia’s C-130 Hercules aircraft lifted off from a Jordanian air base in mid-August and dropped bundles of aid over Gaza, The Times of Israel reported that “The Prime Minister’s Office has given special permission to Indonesia to airdrop humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.” Special permission. Even…
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Exposing Indonesia’s largest Muslim organisation, Nahdlatul Ulama, and its troubling ties to Israel
Recently in Indonesia, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country’s largest Muslim organization, has found itself at the center of a moral and political controversy that demands scrutiny. In August 2025, Peter Berkowitz, a pro-Israel academic affiliated with the Hoover Institution, was invited to lecture at NU’s National Leadership Academy in Jakarta.…
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Indonesia’s largest Muslim organisation has also betrayed Palestine
On 24 August, I wrote an op-ed condemning Universitas Indonesia (UI) for the deeply disturbing decision to invite Peter Berkowitz, an unapologetic defender of Israel’s violent occupation of Palestine, to speak at its graduate orientation. However, as appalling as UI’s choice was, it pales in comparison to the even more…
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Universitas Indonesia betrayed Palestine
On 23 August, Universitas Indonesia (UI), the nation’s oldest and most respected institution of higher learning, committed a profound mistake. At the orientation for its graduate program, UI handed the podium to Peter Berkowitz — a longtime defender of Israel’s occupation and its ongoing genocide in Gaza. Berkowitz is no…
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Indonesia cannot back Palestine while hosting Israeli-linked investments
Indonesia prides itself on being a steadfast defender of Palestine. Since the Sukarno’s era, the country has refused ties with Israel and consistently declared unwavering support for Palestinian statehood. At every summit and on every national holiday, Jakarta reminds the world where it stands. On Independence Day this year, President…
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Indonesia’s independence rings hollow if it clings to the two-state solution for Palestine
This weekend, as red-and-white flags ripple across the Indonesian archipelago and schoolchildren recite “Merdeka!” (freedom), the nation will mark its 80th Independence Day. It is a moment to recall a truth that has defined the republic since 17 August 1945: no inch of its land should ever be conceded to…