What did President Prabowo say about Palestine at Gontor?

According to Antara, he recognised the Palestinian ambassador, chanted "Free Palestine" three times with thousands of attendees, then twice more later in his address. It happened at the centenary of the Darussalam Gontor Islamic Boarding School in Ponorogo, East Java.

Does this news affect foreign property investment in South Lombok?

The report announces no policy on property, tourism or taxation, so it gives no basis for a direct effect. It changes none of the ownership rules: freehold is for Indonesian citizens only, and foreigners use leasehold, Hak Pakai or a PT PMA holding HGB.

Who attended the Gontor centenary event?

Antara lists the Religious Affairs Minister, two MPR deputy speakers, the East Java governor, the National Police Chief, the Deputy Grand Imam of Egypt's Al-Azhar and the Palestinian ambassador. Before the reception, the president inaugurated the UNIDA Gontor Faculty of Medicine.

Prabowo Reaffirms Support for Palestine at Gontor Centenary in East Java

President Prabowo Subianto used the centenary of an East Java Islamic boarding school to reaffirm Indonesia's support for Palestine, leading thousands of attendees in chants of "Free Palestine". The scene, reported by the news agency Antara, combined an official occasion, a religious institution and an unusually personal moment for a head of state.

A centenary at Gontor

The occasion was the centennial commemoration of the Darussalam Gontor Islamic Boarding School in Ponorogo, East Java, held on Saturday. According to Antara, the president arrived at the venue at approximately 10:20 a.m. local time (GMT+7). He wore a traditional white koko, a shirt commonly worn by Indonesian Muslim men, and a black peci cap, the Indonesian version of the fez.

He was welcomed by the head of the school and by a former chairman of Muhammadiyah, one of Indonesia's largest Islamic non-governmental organisations. The Deputy Grand Imam of Egypt's Al-Azhar also greeted him on arrival.

Before the centenary reception, the president officially inaugurated the Faculty of Medicine at Darussalam University (UNIDA) Gontor. It is the one concrete institutional step in the account, and it sat alongside the ceremonial and diplomatic elements of the day.

The moment on stage

While welcoming the foreign ambassadors in attendance, the president specifically recognised the Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia. Antara reports that the gesture was met with immediate roaring applause and cheers.

The sequence that followed, as reported:

The president chanted "Free Palestine" three times, and the thousands of attendees echoed the call in unison.
The ambassador approached the stage and presented him with a traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarf.
The two embraced on stage in front of students, alumni and invited guests.
The president appeared deeply moved, visibly wiping his eyes and bowing his head, and wore the keffiyeh for the rest of the event.
Continuing his address, he chanted "Free Palestine" twice more, and the crowd responded again.

These details come from a single source, Antara, and we have not verified them independently. They describe what happened at the event, not what will follow from it.

A guest list that spans state and faith

The attendance list gives a sense of the event's weight. Beyond the figures already mentioned, Antara names the Religious Affairs Minister, two Deputy Speakers of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), the Governor of East Java and the National Police Chief. Students, alumni and invited guests filled the venue.

Antara's related headlines point to a consistent line in recent coverage: support for Palestinian independence described as non-negotiable, and a reaffirmation with India of support for a two-state solution. That context suggests the Gontor remarks restate a position already on the public record rather than announce a new one. This is our reading of the headlines, not a claim made in the report itself.

What this means for investors

The honest answer is: very little that can be measured. The report concerns foreign policy and a religious-educational milestone. It mentions no property rule, tourism measure, tax change or investment policy, and it says nothing about Lombok.

For readers weighing South Lombok, the fundamentals we track are unchanged by this story:

Entry prices: turnkey investment-grade villas at roughly EUR 95,000-350,000.
Returns: an honest net rental yield of 7-12% after management fees and realistic occupancy, with developer-quoted gross figures running higher and needing the usual conversion.
Ownership: foreigners cannot hold freehold (Hak Milik / SHM). The available routes are leasehold (Hak Sewa), Hak Pakai, or a PT PMA holding Hak Guna Bangunan (HGB).

We make no claim that this event will move visitor numbers, prices or rental income. There is no data in the source to support such a claim, and we would be inventing a link if we drew one.

What investors can reasonably do with a story like this is note it as background. Political messaging tells you about the tone of national leadership; it does not replace the due diligence that decides a purchase. Title checks, zoning, encumbrances and the legal structure remain the decisions that protect or damage a foreign buyer's position.

The signal worth tracking in the coming months is not the chant but the policy, regulation and infrastructure decisions that actually follow, and we will report on those as they are announced.

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