Indonesia says Muslim nations being pressurized to normalize ties with Israel

ISTANBUL

The Indonesia foreign minister on Monday said Israel and its allies had been trying to get Muslim countries to normalize ties.

"There are systematic efforts by Israel and its allies to lobby and pressure Muslim countries into considering normalizing ties with Israel," Retno Marsudi told a conference at the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, central Java province.

Jakarta has no diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv, but Israeli media recently claimed Indonesia was mulling establishing ties to gain entry to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Israel is one of the members of the OECD, and Jakarta has to get its approval if it wants to have its membership bid accepted. The government has denied opening ties with Israel.

The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco signed in 2020 US-brokered Abraham Accords to normalize relations with Israel.

The US is also pushing for an Israel-Saudi normalization deal. Riyadh is said to have agreed to recognize Israel only if it adopts a two-state solution to its conflict with Palestine.

“Indonesia has consistently upheld universal principles and values to support Palestine. Consistency in embracing these principles is not easy. It is extremely hard to [keep this stance] amidst today’s messy world filled with pressure and promises of transactions here and there, but the Indonesian government was able to stand its ground,” Retno said.​​​​​​​

Israel has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas incursion, which killed some 1,200 people.