The country with the largest population of Muslims bluntly criticized Israel

After all, it has been proved that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who visited Indonesia last week, had asked Indonesia to normalize relations with Israel.

Indonesia's Foreign Ministry confirmed to Asia Nikkei newspaper that the issue was raised in the meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries.

Indonesia is the country with the largest Muslim population in the world and has no official diplomatic relations with Israel because it supports the Palestinian cause.

Indonesia's Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasiyah told the newspaper that the issue was discussed between Blinken and Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Mersudi.

Blinken's attempt was first published by some US news websites, which said that the administration of US President Joe Biden is trying to expand the 'Abraham Accords' of the Trump era.

It is looking outside the Middle East towards large countries that do not recognize Israel.

An agreement was signed between Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and the United States during Trump's presidency, in which it has been agreed to restore peace and establish diplomatic relations with Israel. This agreement was called 'Abraham Accords'.

How did Indonesia respond?

Indonesia Foreign Ministry spokesman Faizasiah said about the meeting that his Foreign Minister Mersudi has bluntly replied to the US Secretary of State.

Faizasiah said that Mersudi "told Indonesia's firm position on Palestine and its people's fight for justice and freedom." In the case of Palestine, our policy regarding Israel will not change. This stand of Indonesia is being seen as a setback for the Biden administration.

American news websites say that US and Israeli officials have discussed expanding the Abraham Accords in recent months, and Indonesia's name came up during this discussion.

The report quoted senior US officials as saying that the Joe Biden administration is "quietly but diligently" working on expanding the Abraham Accords and it could take some time.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said, "We are looking for additional opportunities to bring things back to normal, but we will keep that discussion behind closed doors until the right time comes."

Earlier, the administration of US President Donald Trump had reportedly offered to mediate between Indonesia and Israel.

US International Development Finance Corporation CEO Adam Boller said in an interview with Bloomberg in December last year that the US could invest more capital in Indonesia if it establishes official relations with Israel.

Are Indonesians passionate about Palestine?

People's feelings about Palestine have always been on the rise in Indonesia.

During the conflict between Israel and Palestine in May, many people in Indonesia took to the streets in support of Palestine.

Indonesia's Defense Minister Prabavo Subianto was seen in a photograph with an Israeli diplomat during the Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain in November this year, after which his spokesman had to issue a clarification.

It was said in the statement that the Defense Minister is committed to the issue of Palestine.

However, the Israeli news website Walla said that Israel's National Security Adviser Ayal Hulta had a brief meeting with Indonesia's defense minister during the same conference and that the two had given each other their business cards.

'The Times of Israel' newspaper, quoting US officials writes that the Trump administration had succeeded in normalizing relations with Israel and the new Muslim countries earlier this year, but due to the end of his term, he would do it.

According to officials, Indonesia, and the African country, Mauritania was included in these countries and if Trump had stayed in his office for the next one to two months, then a deal with Indonesia could have been done.

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 the biggest symbolic victory for it.

However, these speculations were put to rest by the Indonesian President himself and told the Palestinian Authority's President Mahmoud Abbas that his country would not normalize relations with Israel until the Palestinian Authority became a state.

Abraham Accords and America

Last year, the Trump administration pressured Gulf countries to establish diplomatic relations with Israel. Its results were also revealed. The UAE and Bahrain have established diplomatic relations with Israel. After this, Sudan and Morocco also decided to establish diplomatic relations with Israel. Sudan and Morocco are also Muslim-majority countries.

Similar pressure was also on Saudi Arabia. But Saudi Arabia did not do so and said that it would not establish formal relations with Israel until Palestine became an independent country under the 1967 border. Saudi Arabia also demands East Jerusalem to be made the capital of Palestine.