Indonesia has reportedly agreed to normalize ties with Israel as part of its bid to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Ynet News reported on Thursday, April 12.
The normalization of diplomatic relations would mark a significant shift for Indonesia, given the rising anti-Israel sentiment in the Muslim world due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. However, it would also put an end to Israeli objections to Indonesia’s accession to the OECD.
The goal of the OECD is to promote economic growth through neo-liberal fiscal policies, and new members must receive the support of all other members of the bloc. After several weeks of discussions, Indonesia decided to establish diplomatic links with Israel for a vote to be held to ratify its participation in the OECD, despite Israel’s alleged objections to the country’s membership owing to the lack of diplomatic relations.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz oversaw the negotiations. During the meeting, Katz brought up Indonesia’s criticism of Israel since the conflict in Gaza began on October 7 and Jakarta’s backing of South Africa’s lawsuit at the International Court of Justice, which charges Israel of committing genocide in the enclave.
The majority-Muslim nation of the world, Indonesia, allegedly consented to a requirement that required it to build diplomatic relations with Israel before an OECD membership vote could be held.
In a letter to Katz, the OECD Secretary-General, Mathias Cormann, stated that all member nations including Israel must agree in unanimity before accepting Indonesia as a new member of the organization.
Katz wrote a response letter on Wednesday, expressing his expectation that Indonesia’s policy toward Israel will change for the better, particularly if its unfriendly stance is abandoned. This will pave the way for complete diplomatic relations between all parties.
Indonesia’s willingness to normalize ties with Israel is a significant development, as the country has maintained that it would only recognize Israel once an independent Palestinian state was established.
However, the two nations’ clandestine ties go back a long way, former Israeli prime leaders Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres visited Indonesia in 1993 and 2000, respectively, and Naftali Bennett, who was the minister of the economy at the time, did the same in 2013.
According to Haaretz, In 2018, Indonesia began accepting tourist visa applications from Israelis.
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