TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia, the country with the highest number of Muslim population, has agreed to establish diplomatic relations with Israel as part of its efforts to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Israel's Ynet News reported on April 11, 2024.

"I am pleased to announce that the Council has officially approved the clear and explicit initial requirements that require Indonesia to establish diplomatic relations with all OECD member countries before deciding to admit it into the OECD," said the Secretary-General of the organization, Mathias Cormann, in a letter issued two weeks ago to Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz.

"Furthermore, any future decision to accept Indonesia as a member of the organization requires unanimous agreement among all member countries, including Israel. I am confident that this provides you with assurance at this crucial point," the letter added.

Initially, Tel Aviv objected to Indonesia's accession to the OECD due to its public statements opposing Israel's actions in Gaza and demanding measures including normalization of relations.

After weeks of negotiations, the OECD and Jakarta agreed to include a term in the decision stating that the Southeast Asian country would establish diplomatic relations with Israel before the vote for its OECD accession is approved.

"I share the same hope as you that this process will bring about changes for Indonesia, as I anticipate positive changes in Indonesia's policy toward Israel, especially abandoning its policy of hostility toward Israel, and paving the way for full diplomatic relations between all parties," read a letter sent to Cormann by Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz.

Israeli media revealed last September that Jakarta and Tel Aviv held secret negotiations to reach a path to normalization.

Indonesia's historically tense relationship with Israel has been marked by a lack of formal diplomatic relations, although they have engaged in secret trade cooperation for several decades. Since 1993, Indonesia has hosted Israeli authorities several times, and in recent years began issuing visas to Israeli tourists.

Nevertheless, as a predominantly Muslim country, Indonesia has taken a firm stance in supporting the Palestinian cause and refrained from formally recognizing Israel as a sovereign state. Indonesian society has also held massive demonstrations in support of Palestine and against Israel since October 7.

In January, Jakarta filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and also supported South Africa's genocide case in The Hague.

Recently, Israeli media outlet Jewish Insider stated that Indonesia cooperated with Israel to evacuate Indonesian citizens from Gaza in late 2023. The media also claimed that cooperation between Indonesia and Israel left the door open for the possibility of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which had previously been postponed.

Responding to this, the spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, stated that the Ministry communicated and coordinated "with various parties" during the evacuation process of Indonesian citizens from Gaza at that time. Ten Indonesian citizens were residing in Gaza when Israel began attacking the enclave in October 2023.

Seven out of ten Indonesian citizens have been successfully repatriated, while the remaining three, who were volunteers from the Medical and Humanitarian Institution (MER-C), decided to stay in Gaza. One of the three volunteers then requested evacuation in December 2023.

THE CRADLE | NABIILA AZZAHRA

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