The head of the finance group said the US could double its $ 1bn portfolio if Indonesia establishes relations with Israel.
Indonesia could release billions of dollars in additional U.S. funding if it joins President Donald Trump’s effort for Muslim countries to establish relations with Israel, according to a U.S. official.
The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, a government agency that invests abroad, could double its current $ 1 billion package if Indonesia develops ties with Israel, a High Commissioner said. DFC official Adam Boehler in an interview Monday at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem.
“We’re talking to them about it,” Boehler said. “If they are ready, they are ready and if they are then we will be happy to even provide financial support for what we are doing.” He said it would not be surprising if his organisation’s funding went to Indonesia. , the largest Muslim country in the world, inspired by “one or two billion dollars.”
American and Israeli leaders have said they expect more countries to join the wave of normalization agreements with Israel announced in recent months, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
The U.S. is also hoping for the arrival of Oman and Saudi Arabia, although Boehler said DFC funding for those two countries would be limited by the fact that the agency is not allowed to invest directly in states with higher incomes.
Going against China
Boehler was in Israel as part of a delegation with Trump’s son-in-law and top adviser Jared Kushner. In Morocco next, Boehler said he would announce the opening of Prosper Africa’s first North African branch, a campaign to increase business between the US and Africa.
He also said his group would appear to be part of a debt group to help finance Israel’s sale of the largest seaport in the city of Haifa. American companies and Emirati company have expressed interest in the offer, and Boehler said he would look at applications with Americans or friends like the UAE.
As part of the normalization agreements, Boehler helped set up a $ 3 billion Israel-Emirati-US joint venture based in Jerusalem to invest regionally. The head of the fund, senior adviser to U.S. Ambassador Aryeh Lightstone, has so far said the U.S. is doing due diligence on more than 10 potential contracts.
It was one of the first oil pipelines in Israel, and Boehler said more are being explored as the U.S. looks at ways to expand the country’s natural gas exports to Central Asian countries or the United States. Europe to help counter the influence of Russia and China. It’s an interesting area, and it’s a market that the United States itself doesn’t play in many times, ”Boehler said.
Elsewhere in the world, Boehler said a priority before the Trump administration resigns next month is to help Latin American countries with billions in debt to China for infrastructure projects. debt financing.
“We are in intensive talks to see if we can do something there, where they need a little help with development, and it’s an opportunity for them to get out of being under China,” he said. We’ll see if we can do that by January 20. “
While President Joe Biden has vowed to abandon many of his previous policies, Boehler said his group enjoys bipartisan support and expects continuity under administration new.
“I think they will take what we have done and take it forward, and I hope they do and I will be there to support them,” he said.