Trump seeking Indonesia-Israel normalization

With a Gaza ceasefire holding, the Southeast Asian country may be a partner for him.

- By AAMER MADHANI AND EDNA TARIGAN

BUILDINGS in Khan Yunis, Gaza, destroyed by Israel. Indonesia pledged troops for a U.N. mission in Gaza.

(Anadolu / Getty Images)

President Trump made sure during his visit to Asia last week to praise regional allies who have backed his push to bring about a permanent end to the Israel-Hamas war.

As he handed out plaudits, Trump appeared to go out ofhis way to name-check one leader in particular — Indonesia’s Prabowo Subianto — for his help in Gaza.

“Iwant 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 Assn. of Southeast Nations summit in Malaysia, using only the Indonesian president's first name. “It really isanew 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 ofhis 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 normalize ties with Israel, according to a senior administration official who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity.

For his part, Subianto has shown eagerness to build a relationship with Trump and expand his nation’s global influence.