Jakarta. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is set to have an eye-to-eye meeting with his American counterpart Joe Biden in Washington DC on Monday.

The two leaders --both having different stances on the Israel-Palestine conflict-- will discuss the situation in Gaza. 

“President Jokowi will tell President Joe Biden regarding Indonesia’s position on Gaza,” Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Lalu Muhamad Iqbal told reporters via text on Thursday evening.

Jokowi will also attend the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) emergency meeting in Riyadh on Saturday. Lalu added: “The summit will focus on the latest developments in the Gaza situation. The talks will consolidate OIC countries’ joint efforts to stop Israeli aggression in Gaza.”

“Because the bilateral talks [in Washington] take place following the OIC Summit, President Jokowi is expected to convey the summit’s results to President Joe Biden,” Lalu said.

Indonesia has always maintained a pro-Palestine stance. Jakarta has condemned Israeli attacks. Indonesia was among the UN member states that were in favor of a resolution that called for a sustained humanitarian truce between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in Gaza. Indonesia also recently delivered logistics assistance for Gaza, weighing 51.5 tons. The humanitarian aid arrived at El-Arish airport in Egypt earlier this week.

The US has been in the spotlight for its relentless support for Israel. The US used its veto at the UN Security Council to block a humanitarian pause resolution. Washington also voted against the ceasefire resolution at the UN General Assembly. 

Al Jazeera reported that the US military funding for Israel topped $3.8 billion in 2023, as part of a $38 billion deal over 10 years which the US struck in 2016. The US has given Israel a total of $124 billion in military and defense aid between 1946-2023.