French President Emmanuel Macron sought to build “momentum” ahead of the international summit on the Palestinian issue, which France and Saudi Arabia will co-chair in New York at the end of June. On Wednesday, May 28, in Jakarta, Macron was received with great fanfare by his Indonesian counterpart, Prabowo Subianto. Macron welcomed an initial gesture from the country with the largest Muslim population in the world. During a press conference at the presidential palace in Jakarta, the former general – whom Macron referred to as a “brother” – declared, “Once Israel recognizes Palestine, [Indonesia] will be ready to recognize Israel and establish diplomatic relations” with Israel.
Indonesia’s recognition of Israel, in a country where public opinion is deeply shocked by abuses committed by the Israeli military against civilians in Gaza, remains conditional. The prospect of Israel ever recognizing Palestine is remote, making the Indonesian promise a distant one. However, the statement, which builds on comments already made by Subianto on April 12 in Turkey, where he advocated for a two-state solution, bolstered France’s efforts by increasing pressure on Israel. Indonesia said it would support the New York summit. “We are by your side,” Macron said in response, reiterating to Indonesians that France does not have a “double standard” that would mean caring more about Ukrainians than about Gazans.
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