Jakarta. Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Yvonne Mengkawang recently denied that Indonesia was unconditionally warming up to Israel after President Prabowo Subianto appeared in Tel Aviv’s electronic billboards.

The nationwide billboard campaign is spearheaded by the non-partisan Israeli Coalition for Regional Security. The campaign urges support for US President Donald Trump’s initiative to end the Gaza war and expand the Abraham Accords. This is a set of Trump-brokered agreements that saw some Muslim-majority nations, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. The latest developments fueled concerns over Indonesia’s possible change of heart in regards to the Palestinian cause.

“Indonesia’s position is crystal clear. There will be no recognition of normalization of ties with Israel, be it through Abraham Accords or other platforms, except Israel recognizes an independent and sovereign Palestinian state first,” Yvonne told the press on Monday night.

“... Anything related to Israel must start with the recognition of Palestine’s independence and sovereignty.”

Photos of the billboards showed up a few days after Prabowo told the UN General Assembly that Jakarta would “immediately recognize the state of Israel” with Palestinian independence as a non-negotiable condition. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even commented on Prabowo’s speech when he got on the UN podium. Speaking at a largely empty hall, Netanyahu said that Israel’s victory over the Palestinian militant group Hamas would lead to expansion of the Abraham Accords.

“I took note, and I’m sure you did too, of the encouraging words spoken by the president of Indonesia. This is the country with the largest Muslim population of all nations. And it’s also a sign of what could come,” Netanyahu said, alluding his hopes to Jakarta striking a normalization deal.

Just recently, Trump told the press that he believed Iran could join the Abraham Accords -- a comment made at a White House presser beside Netanyahu. Trump brokered the normalization treaty during his first term in office. Other signatories besides the UAE included Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. Jakarta has been backing the international mantra of a “two-state solution”, which calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state that exists alongside that of Israel. 

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