In recent years, Indonesia has witnessed an unusual and disquieting trend: the rise of public figures openly supporting Israel, in stark contrast to the country’s long-standing and deeply rooted support for Palestinian self-determination. Chief among these voices is Monique Rijkers, a Jakarta-based media personality and self-described Jewish Indonesian who has positioned herself as the country’s most visible pro-Israel activist. Her growing platform—ranging from her YouTube channel FaktaIsrael to appearances on national television—signals not only a shift in media discourse, but also a challenge to the moral clarity that has defined Indonesia’s position on Palestine for decades.

Rijkers is no fringe figure. With over 278,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel, she presents a slick, persuasive narrative defending Israeli actions and policies, including military operations in Gaza. One of her most viral videos, “Rekam Jejak Manipulasi Ambulans oleh Hamas” (Hamas’ Ambulance Manipulation Track Record), attempts to discredit the widely documented humanitarian crisis in Gaza by painting Palestinian resistance as manipulative and deceptive. The comments section on this video reveals something deeply unsettling: a growing number of Indonesians echoing her sentiments, not in defence of peace, but in alignment with Israeli militarism.

Her activism extends beyond mere online rhetoric. In 2017, Rijkers attended the Christian Media Summit in Jerusalem, where she was the sole Indonesian among a curated group of 130 international participants. The summit, organised by Israel’s Government Press Office, served as a platform for disseminating state-approved narratives—which Rijkers uncritically amplified. During a staged tour of the West Bank, she fixated on technicalities like the fact that only 5 per cent of Israel’s 629-kilometer segregation barrier is a concrete wall, as if this minor detail somehow mitigated its oppressive function. She

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