Indonesia plays down upswing in Israel ties, amid talk of ‘normalisation’ and Abraham Accords

A flurry of reported low profile contacts, some of them denied, have fuelled speculation Jakarta will follow the footsteps of the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco

But Indonesian officials are keen to play down the suggestion. With the public strongly supportive of the Palestinians, President Widodo would not want to risk upheaval, experts say

Reading Time:5 minutes

Published: 9:00am, 4 Feb 2022

While speculation grows that Indonesia and Israel are making efforts to normalise diplomatic ties amid a flurry of low profile contacts, experts say the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation will not want to risk political upheaval by appearing to waver on its support for the Palestinian cause.

Reports about behind-the-scenes discussions for Indonesia to be the next Muslim country to sign the Abraham Accords – after the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco – first emerged in the Israeli press in December, following a visit by the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to Jakarta.

Blinken brought up the possibility of Indonesia normalising relations with Israel with his counterpart Retno Marsudi, who responded by reiterating Indonesia’s “consistent position” to support the Palestinians’ fight for freedom and justice, the foreign ministry spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah told reporters at the time.

In November, Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto was pictured sitting alongside Israel national security adviser Eyal Hulata at a conference in Bahrain, where the two exchanged business cards. The former leader of Indonesia’s special forces later issued a statement that speaking to Israeli officials was “not prohibited when it serves the national interest”.

The Jerusalem Post reported that Prabowo had led an effort between the two countries to cooperate on agriculture, which would fit his additional role as overseer of President Joko Widodo’s national food estate programme, an ambitious agricultural project to boost the country’s food security, particularly beyond Java island. Prabowo has said that several foreign investors are interested in the project, namely China, the UAE (United Arab Emirates), Qatar, and South Korea. However, he has denied The Jerusalem Post report claiming agricultural cooperation with Israel.

Earlier this month, Israel’s Army Radio claimed a delegation of Indonesian officials had made a rare visit to the country “in recent weeks” to meet local officials and learn about the country’s response to Covid-19. The report was quickly dismissed by the Indonesian health and foreign ministries.

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