TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah on Thursday made it clear that there are no attempts to normalize the diplomatic ties between Indonesia and Israel. He also publicly questions the credibility of the initial news source, which came from Israeli mass media.

“The Foreign Affairs Ministry, which is the country’s foreign policies holder, has not taken any steps that would lead to the normalization referred by the [Israeli media],” said the spokesperson in a press conference held virtually on September 22.

The Jerusalem Post recently reported that Indonesia had sent delegates to Israel to hold a secret meeting led by a senior official. This media also claimed Pakistan had sent representatives to Israel to attend a secret meeting.

Citing a paragraph from the coverage, “The Indonesian delegation in Israel is headed by a "senior official." Reports of a diplomatic presence of the two most populous Muslim nations in the world in Israel come amid recent warming of ties between Israel and Indonesia.”

The Israeli media also mentioned that the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken once raised the possibility of Indonesia normalizing its diplomatic relations with Israel in meetings with officials in Jakarta in December, which was denied by Indonesian officials at the time.

Faizasyah on Tuesday, September 20, admitted that he is unaware of the “official figure” the article refers to. He emphasized that Indonesia's position has not shifted from its initial stand which means Indonesia still consistently puts forward a "two-state solution" as a way to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Meanwhile, the Middle East Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bagus Hendraning Kobarsyih, denied reports that an Indonesian delegation had been sent to Israel for secret talks.

Bagus stated that this news was an old pattern that is often used by the Israeli media to frame an issue for the country’s benefit. He also considered the news baseless and insinuative.

“As long as Palestine is under Israel’s colonialism, Indonesia will never establish a diplomatic relationship with Israel,” said Bagus to Tempo on September 20.

DANIEL AHMAD

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