The Betrayal of Islam and the Ummah: The Risks of Normalizing Relations with ‘Israel’

News:

According to experts, the recent removal of Indonesia as the host of the U-20 FIFA World Cup due to protests against ‘Israel’ indicates that a formal relationship between the two states is highly unlikely. Reports suggest that ‘Israel’ was attempting to persuade Indonesia to sign the Abraham Accords, but this was deemed too politically risky. FIFA's decision to remove Indonesia as the host may result in sanctions against the country. The experts suggest that Indonesia's strong support for Palestine is based on religious and nationalistic solidarity, and any change to this stance could cause political instability. While there may be informal engagements between the two countries in fields such as economy and security, the political risks of a formal relationship with Israel are seen as too high. (https://asianews.network)

Comment:

In 2020, ‘Israel’ normalized relations with several Arab countries through the Abraham Accords. This led to the US government approaching other Muslim states, such as Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, with the aim of further normalization. While most countries globally have already normalized relations with the Jewish entity, there has been slow progress in the Muslim world due to the historical conflict between the Jewish entity and Palestine.

Indonesia, with the largest Muslim population in the world, has become a target for normalization with Israel by the US. If Indonesia were to formalize relations with ‘Israel’, it could potentially lead to other Muslim countries following suit due to Indonesia's influential position in the Muslim world. The US has even promised financial support to Indonesia if it accepts normalization.

However, from an Islamic perspective, Muslims are not supposed to cooperate with their enemies, especially those at war with them. Despite this, many Muslim states have adopted a double standard approach towards the Jewish entity. They do not view ‘Israel’ as an enemy but rather fear losing legitimacy from their own people.

Despite many Muslim states having diplomatic relations with the Jewish entity, it has not had any positive impact on Palestine. Normalization is simply a way to make the Jewish entity stronger and more legitimate as a colonial and Western puppet state. This normalization only serves the narrow nationalist interests of Muslim regimes and is a betrayal to Islam and the Ummah. How much longer will we see this betrayal to Islam and to the Ummah?

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
Abdullah Aswar