President Prabowo Subianto’s recent Middle East tour, framed as a humanitarian and diplomatic initiative, is raising both eyebrows and hopes as he positions Indonesia as a key moral actor in the Gaza crisis. With stops in Türkiye, the UAE, Egypt, Qatar, and Jordan, Prabowo seeks to elevate Indonesia's voice in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but critics suggest the former general’s approach risks being perceived less as strategic diplomacy and more as a projection of a saviour complex.

Ambitious remarks

In his remarks before departure, Prabowo stressed Indonesia’s readiness to step in where others have faltered. “There have been many requests for Indonesia to play a more active role. We are ready to play a role by seeing what we can do,” he said at Halim Perdanakusuma airport, as reported by Jakarta Globe. Positioning Indonesia—geographically distant yet symbolically significant as the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation—as a moral power in the conflict, Prabowo frames the country’s involvement as a matter of global Islamic solidarity and leadership.

His government has floated a controversial proposal to evacuate up to 1,000 wounded Palestinians, children, and students from Gaza to Indonesia. While framed as temporary and humanitarian, the initiative has triggered backlash at home. 

The Vice Chair of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Anwar Abbas, likened the plan to strategies once advocated by Donald Trump and the Israeli government to depopulate Gaza. “Why is Indonesia joining in supporting the plans of Israel and America?” Abbas asked, citing fears that the effort, however well-intentioned, could indirectly aid in the long-term displacement of Palestinians, as reported by Tempo.

Prabowo has since tried to soften the optics. “Not a relocation. It’s to help,” he said during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Türkiye, as detailed on the official Presidential Secretariat’s website. Foreign Minister Sugiono echoed the sentiment, reaffirming Indonesia’s rejection of forced relocation and insisting any evacuation would be temporary, contingent on multilateral approval, and conducted only with consent from the Palestinian authorities and regional stakeholders.

False sentiment

Still, there are undertones of self-stylisation. The President, who has increasingly taken an internationalist posture since his election, appears to be leveraging Indonesia’s “free and active” foreign policy to cast himself as a mediator between global power centres. Analysts have dubbed him the “foreign policy president”, as Jakarta Globe reported, but with Indonesia’s limited geopolitical clout, especially in Middle Eastern power circles, the grandiosity of the mission risks overreach.

Moreover, Prabowo’s framing of Indonesia as a humanitarian outpost evokes parallels to peace-brokering nations like Norway or Switzerland—roles earned over decades through meticulous diplomacy and trust-building. Whether Indonesia can leapfrog into this space remains uncertain. “The President is still consulting with leaders. If even one country disagrees, then there will be no deal,” said Sugiono, implicitly acknowledging the fragility of the plan.

Inconsistencies

Ultimately, Prabowo’s gesture is a potent expression of Indonesia’s moral concern. But without a long-term strategy, institutional backing from multilateral peace structures, or clarity on return pathways for evacuees, critics may continue to view this as a well-meaning but paternalistic move—more about Indonesia’s self-image than sustainable relief for Palestinians.

This volatility is further reflected when Prabowo seems to backtrack on his statement from earlier in April, saying the country is “ready to house those who are wounded, orphaned, and traumatised”, as quoted by Tempo. A week after the statement, fresh out of the backlash from some figures in the government, Prabowo scaled down his claim that the country is ready, but only if all Middle Eastern leaders are aligned with the idea. This came after he wrapped his Middle Eastern, peace-promoting tour.

The Internet also has concerns. Critics argue that what Prabowo does is an obvious political ploy that the president is either aware of or unaware of. In his op-ed on Islami.co, Dr Syafiq Hasyim, Director of Library and Culture of Indonesian Islamic University, said that with Trump stating that Gazans should be relocated, this move may confirm that Prabowo is trying to win the US’s favour. There’s been a rumour that Indonesia has talked with Israel about housing Gaza refugees, but this is contradictory to the Palestinians’ fight for their rights to the land. Questions arise: Which side is the Indonesian president on? 

For now, President Prabowo’s Middle East engagement walks a fine line between compassion and projection, diplomacy and dramatisation. Whether he emerges as a credible humanitarian broker or a leader overplaying his hand may hinge not on his intentions but on his execution.