Trump administration eyes prospect of Israel forging formal ties with world’s largest Muslim-majority country

The US administration offered Indonesia to increase the development aid it receives by up to $2 billion if it were to normalize its ties with Israel, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

The agency cited Adam Boehler, CEO of US International Development Finance Corporation, as saying the offer had been extended to Jakarta by the administration of US President Donald Trump in a bid to promote Israel’s normalization in the Muslim world.

 “If they’re ready, they’re ready, and if they are then we’ll be happy to even support more financially than what we do,” Boehler told Bloomberg.

Boehler was speaking in Jerusalem, where he arrived with top White House advisor Jared Kushner to head to Morocco as part of a joint US-Israeli delegation.

The Trump White House is eyeing opportunities for more diplomatic victories in the final weeks before the inauguration of the presumptive President-elect Joe Biden.

Indonesia is home to the world’s largest Muslim population, with almost 90 percent of its population identifying themselves as Muslims, according to Statista.

Oman was also speculated to be the next in the line to join in on the normalization push brokered by the Trump administration, with hopes also high for Saudi Arabia normalization — with sources saying, however, that this was unlikely under King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.