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While Indonesia and Malaysia remain publicly supportive of Palestine and refuse to establish ties with Israel, both countries have successfully pursued a secret trade and diplomatic relationship with Tel Aviv for decades.
Advertisement Last month, reports emerged that the Trump administration was willing to offer Indonesia a hefty financial inducement in exchange for formally recognizing the nation of Israel. In an interview with Bloomberg published on December 22, Adam Boehler, CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, said that Indonesia could get up to $2 billion more in development aid if it formalized the already considerable ties it has with Tel Aviv. “We’re talking to them about it,” Boehler said. “If they’re ready, they’re ready, and if they are then we’ll be happy to...