Jakarta (TDI): Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, is ready to recognize and establish diplomatic ties with Israel if an independent Palestinian state is recognized by Tel Aviv, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said on Wednesday.
“The two-state solution and the creation of Palestine state is the only way to achieve the true peace. We must acknowledge and guarantee Israel’s rights as a sovereign state that should be paid attention to and guaranteed safety. Indonesia has stated that once Israel recognizes the state of Palestine, Jakarta is ready to recognize Israel,” he told a media conference.
Standing alongside visiting French President Emmanuel Macron, Prabowo stated Israel’s security should be guaranteed, and that France would also continue to back measures toward independence for a Palestinian state.
Jakarta does not recognize or share any diplomatic ties with Israel.
Prabowo’s remarks indicates a significant shift from Indonesia’s long-standing foreign policy articulated for decades in support of Palestine and denial of normalization with Israel.
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By this conditional openness, President Prabowo Subianto has followed a growing regional trend where pragmatic diplomacy is being considered alongside historic solidarity with Palestine.
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Experts say Indonesia’s position may be instrumental in lifting this discussion at the diplomatic level, perhaps even reviving it in a moment of tense condition in the Middle East. Nevertheless, any attempt at steps towards recognition would meet strong opposition within Indonesia for a society that remains almost entirely pro-Palestinian.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
