SENAYANPOST – The Indonesian Anti-Fraud Center held a webinar on Monday, October 6, 2025, discussing the Implementation and Challenges of the Two-State Solution and Indonesia's Active Role in Making It a Reality. In the webinar, the former Chief of the Indonesian National Armed Forces' Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS TNI), Rear Admiral (Ret.) Soleman B. Ponto, praised the conditional recognition strategy presented by President Prabowo Subianto in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.
In the speech, President Prabowo Subianto stated that Indonesia would recognize Israel on the condition that Israel first recognize Palestinian sovereignty.
"President Prabowo Subianto's speech is a step forward in diplomacy to achieve peace in the Middle East, urging Israel to recognize Palestinian sovereignty if Israel wishes to be recognized and establish relations with Indonesia," asserted Rear Admiral (Ret.) Soleman B. Ponto in the webinar.
He revealed structural obstacles to Israel's recognition of Palestinian sovereignty, particularly related to the ideology of Modern Zionism, which holds that land acquired through war becomes a national identity and part of strategic security. The weakness of Arab states in waging war after the Arab-Israeli War from 1948 to 1973, and the strong fragmentation within Palestine, particularly between Fatah in Ramallah, the West Bank, which prioritizes diplomatic channels, and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which is reluctant to pursue diplomatic channels.
"As a military man, President Prabowo Subianto is well aware of this, and it will be difficult for Israel's ideology," he said.
Furthermore, the Palestinian issue has weakened over the past decade due to the fatigue of Arab countries, which are currently concentrating on economic development, neglecting the Palestinian issue and instead joining the Abraham Accords, which recognize the existence of and establish relations with Israel.
"The dominance of the Middle East issue has made peace lose its universality. The US and its allies side with Israel, while Russia, Iran, and China use the Palestinian issue as a bargaining chip in a number of global issues. Yet, for Israel, all the land it has seized is a historical heritage, and for Palestine, it represents dignity. This is a clash of identities and existence," he explained.
The political failure of Arab countries on the Palestinian issue, along with President Prabowo Subianto's constitutional spirit in achieving lasting peace, will strengthen Indonesia's position as a moral mediator on the Palestinian issue, as it is perceived as having no regional interest in the dynamics of the Middle East conflict through multilateral diplomatic channels, whether through governmental or non-governmental actors.
"Indonesia's strategic position must remain independent in taking sides and actively fighting for peace in accordance with the constitution, so that Indonesia can become a moral mediator through the UN and the Non-Aligned Movement. This is a smart move that emphasizes the balance between morality and reality in realizing peace," he concluded.
Other speakers in the webinar included Major General (Ret.) J. Sudrajat, Chairman of the Indonesia-China Cooperation Institute; Ambassador Albert Matondang, Former Deputy for Foreign Affairs at the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs; and Mahfudz Siddik, Secretary General of the Indonesian People's Wave Party, who previously served as Chairman of Commission I of the Indonesian House of Representatives, which oversees foreign affairs, information, and intelligence. (Muqoddas)
