Indonesia to normalise relations with Israel

Originally published in Worthy Christian News

Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim nation, is to normalise relations with Israel, well-informed Israeli sources said on Thursday.

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) secretary-general Mathias Cormann informed Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz about Indonesia’s plans, Worthy News learned.

Katz, in a letter to the OECD dated April 10, thanked the OECD. “I share your expectation that this process will be a transformative one for Indonesia. I am looking forward to a positive change in Indonesia’s policies in general and vis a vis Israel in particular, notably renouncing its discriminatory policies toward Israel and establishing bilateral diplomatic relations,” he added in the letter published by Israeli media.

Normalisation between Indonesia and Israel had long been planned but sidelined after the breakout of the war in Gaza after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.

Yet closer ties between the two nations are necessary as Indonesia seeks to become the 39th member of the OECD.

OECD membership needs the consent of all OCED countries, including Israel, which joined the club in 2010.

Christians in Indonesia were among those welcoming the move.

Upset about relations

Representatives of Indonesia’s Christian minority told Worthy News they had been upset about their country’s tensions with Israel.

“It was always complicated for us to travel to Israel. But I was so happy that I could visit the Jewish nation through a church group with my children baptized there in the Jordan River,” a Christian mother told Worthy News.

Christians, who are a minority in Indonesia, have been praying for Israel and also specifically for the Jewish people, including in-home groups, organisers told Worthy News.

Under outgoing Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Indonesia tolerated low-level, quiet contacts with Israel, mainly on trade and tourism, though Christians told Worthy News it was complicated to obtain a visa.

Even without official ties, direct and indirect Israel-Indonesia trade comes to about $500 million (R9.39 billion) annually, Israel-Asia Center executive director Rebecca Zeffert told The Times of Israel newspaper in 2022.

Yet, while silently cooperating, the two countries often remained diplomatic foes on the international stage.

Indonesia’s leadership had refused to cement ties until an independent Palestinian state was established and was a strong supporter of Palestinians.

Anti-Israel rallies

There were also anti-Israel rallies in Indonesia as well as recent Muslim calls to boycott Israeli products and businesses, upsetting devoted Christians and the tiny Jewish community.

In March last year, the country was stripped of its role as host of the men’s Under-20 World Cup amid massive domestic opposition to the participation of an Israeli soccer team in the tourney.

Widodo also condemned the violence in Gaza and urged parties to “stop the escalation, to stop the use of violence, to focus on humanitarian issues, and to solve the root of the problem, namely the Israeli occupation of Palestine”.

In January, Jakarta filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. It backed South Africa’s “genocide” accusation at that court over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

Israel has denied the charges, blaming Hamas for the reported high number of civilian casualties in Gaza.

The Hamas-run health ministry claims more than 33 000 Palestinians were killed since the war began in October last year, but those figures have been difficult to verify.

Hamas fighters killed some 1,200 people in Israel on October 7 and kidnapped about 253 others in what was described as the worst atrocity against Jews since the Holocaust, or Shoah.

Easing tensions

Christians made clear to Worthy News that they hope the normalization of ties will ease tensions between Israel and Indonesia, home to some 280 million people.

It would also crown a process that began under President Donald Trump, who wanted Indonesia to join the historic “Abraham Accords.”

The Trump administration promised Jakarta a billion dollars to join the Accords on normalizing ties between Israel and former foes, according to Israeli sources familiar with the talks.

Plans for the two countries to improve relations continued under US President Joe Biden’s administration till the October 7 Hamas attack.

They were revived this winter through the OECD membership process, officials confirmed.

Israeli media already noticed signs of a shift in their relationship when Israel allowed Indonesia to participate in the airdrops of humanitarian aid into Gaza, a step it had denied Turkey, with whom it has diplomatic ties.

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