TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Indonesia dismisses possibility of establishing ties with Israel
Indonesia's biggest Islamic grassroots organizations have thrown support behind the government's consistent policy, which has been tested time and again to little avail.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
United States President Donald Trump and Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu take part in an announcement of the US' Middle East peace plan at the White House in Washington, DC on Jan. 28. (AFP/Mandel Ngan)
I
ndonesia’s top diplomat has dismissed any prospect that the country has in opening diplomatic channels with Israel, despite media reports suggesting otherwise.
This stance was backed up by the nation’s biggest Islamic organizations, which have voiced opposition to an idea that some officials have quietly entertained.
On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi asserted that Indonesia had "no intention to open diplomatic ties with Israel", citing President Joko Widodo's latest instruction.
"Indonesia will continue to exercise support for Palestinian independence based on the two-state solution and other agreed international parameters," Retno told a virtual media briefing.
Last week, Morocco became the fourth country in the Arab League to recognize Israel since August, in a flurry of diplomatic deals brokered by the government of outgoing United States President Donald Trump.
Following this development, various Israeli media outlets speculated that Indonesia and Oman could be the next to join the growing list of countries to warm up to Israel under the so-called Abraham Accords.
The Jerusalem Post reported this possibility on Sunday, citing unnamed diplomatic sources who said talks had advanced and normalization could be announced before Trump left office on Jan. 20.
