Calls for justice: Demonstrators taking part in a pro-Palestinian rally in Banda Aceh after two years of conflict in Gaza. — AFP
President Donald Trump made sure during his visit to Asia this week to praise regional allies who have backed his push to bring about a permanent end to the attack of Israel on Gaza.
As he handed out plaudits, Trump appeared to go out of his way to name-check one leader in particular – Indonesia’s Prabowo Subianto – for his help in Gaza.
“I want to thank Malaysia and Brunei as well as my friend, President Prabowo of Indonesia, for their incredible support of these efforts to secure the new day for the Middle East,” Trump told leaders at the Association of South-East Nations summit in Malaysia. “It really is a new day.”
In the weeks since Israel and Hamas agreed to a fragile ceasefire and hostage deal, Indonesia, which boasts the biggest Muslim population in the world, has emerged as an intriguing partner to a White House keen on making peace in the Middle East a defining legacy of his presidency.
Trump has said that a priority tied to that plan, if the fragile ceasefire can hold, is building on his first-term Abraham Accords effort that forged diplomatic and commercial ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.
White House officials believe that a permanent peace agreement in Gaza could pave the way – for Indonesia as well as Saudi Arabia – the largest Arab economy and the birthplace of Islam – to normalise ties with Israel, according to a senior administration official who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity.
For his part, Prabowo has shown eagerness to build a relationship with Trump and expand his nation’s global influence.
But Indonesia, much like Saudi Arabia, has publicly maintained it can’t move forward on normalising relations with Israel until there’s a clear pathway set for a Palestinian state.
“Any vision related to Israel must begin with the recognition of Palestinian independence and sovereignty,” said a Foreign Ministry spokesperson. — AP
