Is Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, going to recognize Israel?
It has come to light that during a visit to Indonesia last week, US Secretary of State Anthony Blanken called on his host Indonesia to restore diplomatic relations with Israel.
The Indonesian Foreign Ministry confirmed to Asia News that the issue had been raised during a meeting between the two countries' foreign ministers.
Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world and has no official diplomatic relations with Israel due to its support for Palestine.
The issue was discussed between Blinken and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Teko Faizasia told AsiaNick.
The news of Antony Blinkenship's attempt was first reported by some American news websites, which said that the administration of US President Joe Biden was trying to expand the Trump era "Abraham Accords".
They are looking at large countries outside the Middle East that do not recognize Israel.
During President Trump's presidency, an agreement was reached between Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and the United States, which agreed to restore peace and establish diplomatic relations with Israel. This agreement is called 'Ibrahim Accords'.
What was Indonesia's response?
Indonesian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Jiang Yu's Remarks on the Meeting
Mikhodi reiterated Indonesia's strong position on the fight for justice and freedom for Palestine and its people, said Tiko Faizasia. Our policy towards Israel on the Palestinian issue will not change.
US news websites say US and Israeli officials have discussed expanding Abraham Eckards in recent months, and Indonesia's name has surfaced during the debate.
Reports quoted senior US officials as saying that the Biden administration was working "quietly but swiftly" to expand the Abraham agreement, but that it could take some time.
''We are looking for additional opportunities to bring things back to normal, but we will keep this discussion closed until the time is right'', State Department spokeswoman Ned Price said.
Earlier, the administration of US President Donald Trump reportedly offered to mediate between Indonesia and Israel.
Adam Bowler, CEO of US International Development Finance Corporation, said in an interview with Bloomberg in December last year that the United States could invest more in Indonesia if Indonesia established formal relations with Israel.
Are Indonesians passionate about Palestine?
The issue of Palestine in Indonesia is an emotional one. During the conflict between Israel and Palestine in May, many people in Indonesia took to the streets in support of Palestine.
Indonesian Defense Minister Prabhavo Subianto was seen pictured with the Israeli diplomat during the Manama Dialogue Conference in Bahrain in November this year, after which his spokesman had to issue an explanation.
The statement said the defense minister was committed to the Palestinian cause. However, Israeli news website Wala said that during the same conference, Israeli National Security Adviser Ayal Halta had a brief meeting with the Indonesian Defense Minister and the two also gave each other their business cards.
The Times of Israel quotes US officials as saying that the Trump administration had earlier this year succeeded in normalizing relations between Israel and several Muslim countries, but with the end of the administration's term. She could not do that with many other countries.
According to officials, those countries included Indonesia and the African country of Mauritania, and a deal with Indonesia could be reached if Trump remained in office for the next one to two months.
Indonesia has a population of 270 million with the largest Muslim population in the world. If the Trump administration had made this deal, it would have been a major victory for it.
However, the Indonesian president himself stopped the speculation and told Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that his country would not normalize relations with Israel until the Palestinian Authority became a state.
Abraham Agreement and the United States
The Trump administration has pressured Gulf states to establish diplomatic relations with Israel. And the results came out.''The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have established diplomatic relations with Israel. Sudan and Morocco have since decided to establish diplomatic relations with Israel.Sudan and Morocco are also Muslim-majority countries''.
There was similar pressure on Saudi Arabia. But Saudi Arabia did not do so and said it would not establish formal relations with Israel until Palestine became an independent state under the 1967 border.
Saudi Arabia also demands that East Jerusalem be made the capital of Palestine.
Turkey has been criticizing the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain for establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. This is at a time when Turkey has diplomatic relations with Israel.
''Turkey and Israel have had diplomatic relations since 1949.Turkey was the first Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel''.
If Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, had established formal diplomatic relations with Israel, it would have been a major victory for Israel.