Israel Mounts Sophisticated Disinformation Campaign Targeting Indonesia’s Palestine Stance

A coordinated Israeli disinformation effort appears to be underway to reshape global perceptions of Indonesia’s long-standing position on the Israel-Palestine conflict, security and diplomatic analysts report.

The campaign’s strategy follows a clear pattern: amplify diplomatic ambiguities, manipulate public perception, and create an impression that normalization between Indonesia and Israel is inevitable—even before Palestinian justice concerns are addressed.

Recent events highlight the vulnerability of Indonesia’s carefully calibrated diplomatic position. In late September 2025, a billboard appeared in Tel Aviv featuring Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto alongside U.S. President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The billboard promoted a purported “regional peace plan” with the message: “Mr. President, Israel stands by your plan. Seal the deal.”

The image triggered immediate concern among Indonesian citizens, many fearing it signaled an abrupt shift away from Jakarta’s decades-long commitment to Palestinian rights. Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry swiftly issued a clarification stating the billboard did not represent official policy and reaffirmed that recognition of Israel remains contingent on Israel’s acknowledgment of Palestinian sovereignty.

The disinformation escalated when The Times of Israel reported that President Prabowo was allegedly preparing for a state visit to Tel Aviv. Headlines suggested Indonesia stood on the brink of a historic diplomatic breakthrough. Jakarta promptly denied these reports, emphasizing that no such visit was planned and reiterating its established position.

What makes Indonesia particularly vulnerable to such manipulation were nuances in President Prabowo’s own United Nations address in September. While he reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to Palestinian self-determination, he added that Indonesia would be “open to recognizing Israel, provided Israel first recognizes the sovereignty and independence of Palestine.” He also acknowledged Israel’s security concerns and concluded with “Shalom.”

Though intended as a balanced diplomatic approach, his conditional phrasing created an opening that Israel’s media apparatus quickly exploited, portraying Indonesia as gradually shifting toward normalization.

In the weeks following, selective reporting and opinion pieces, including one in The Jerusalem Post, characterized Indonesia as quietly moving toward diplomatic relations with Israel, claiming engagement between the nations was closer than ever before. Diplomatic analysts describe this as textbook disinformation: exploit ambiguity, test public reactions, and manufacture an illusion of inevitability.

“The aim is transparent—to weaken global solidarity with Palestinians while presenting Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, as softening its moral stance,” explains Dr. Amira Hasan, an international relations expert at the University of Indonesia.

The threat operates on two levels. While external manipulation poses obvious dangers, it thrives primarily on internal ambiguity. Even carefully considered diplomatic gestures can be weaponized when phrasing leaves room for interpretation. President Prabowo’s conditional UN statements were seized upon abroad as evidence of Indonesia’s willingness to compromise its long-held ethical position.

Indonesia faces mounting pressure to respond strategically. Security analysts recommend the Foreign Ministry approach these incidents not as isolated misinformation but as part of a coordinated foreign influence campaign. They suggest strengthening coordination across government agencies to monitor, analyze, and address such disinformation systematically.

Diplomatic communications experts emphasize that every public statement regarding Israel must be unambiguous: recognition cannot occur without full equality, justice, and sovereignty for Palestinians. They warn that even minor linguistic nuances can be exploited to suggest policy shifts that do not actually exist.

Civil society organizations, religious institutions, and media outlets also play crucial roles in countering such campaigns. Public awareness represents a frontline defense against manipulation that relies on repetition, emotional triggers, and selective framing.

“A society attuned to recognizing propaganda techniques becomes significantly harder to influence, even when foreign actors attempt to rewrite its national narrative,” notes media literacy advocate Budi Santoso.

As this campaign intensifies, Indonesia confronts a defining challenge: maintaining the integrity of its foreign policy principles while defending against sophisticated information operations designed to reshape perceptions of its stance on one of the most contentious geopolitical issues of our time.