Gaza has been at the center of Prabowo’s ongoing Middle East tour, which has so far taken him to the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Egypt and Qatar. Prabowo has met with leaders of these countries and discussed the conflict at the besieged Palestinian enclave, which has dragged on for a year and a half.

At the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey on Friday, Antalya time, Prabowo criticized the double standards of Western powers, saying that many of these countries have “fallen short in the eyes of the Global South” through their silence or inaction over Israel’s military action in Gaza.

“It is a wakeup call,” Prabowo said. “For decades, Western countries came to us and told us what we had to do — democracy, human rights […] Now when we see flagrant violations of human rights, every night on television, they [are silent].”

The President reiterated Indonesia’s long-standing support for Palestinian independence, calling the creation of two independent states of Palestine and Israel as the only viable path to lasting peace.

“We are trying to convince everybody that the only real, permanent solution will come through a two-state solution with an independent Palestine,” he said.

Prabowo went on to say the suffering in Gaza resonates deeply with Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim country with fervent support for the Palestinian cause.