Indonesia and Israel: Beginning a new era<\/p>\n
By Eli Belotsercovsky<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): During a recent seminar dedicated to ties
\nbetween Israel and Indonesia at the University of Indonesia, a
\nstudent asked why Indonesia should establish relations with
\nIsrael. This apparently simple question required an elaborate
\nanswer.<\/p>\n
Although they are different in size and are far away from each
\nother, both countries share common historical similarities. The
\ntwo nations enjoy a rich cultural heritage, and have regained
\nindependence and statehood after a long struggle. The State of
\nIsrael extended its full recognition of Indonesia in January
\n1950, but during the past 50 years, Indonesia and Israel have had
\nvery limited contact and no formal relations have been
\nestablished.<\/p>\n
As a Muslim country and founder of the nonaligned movement,
\nIndonesia, together with other African and Asian countries, was
\nunwilling to establish ties with Israel.<\/p>\n
The first meaningful step toward peace in the Middle East was
\nmarked by the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty of 1978, but it was the
\nMadrid Conference of October 1991 which created an entirely
\ndifferent international and regional political climate, and gave
\nthe peace process new impetus.<\/p>\n
It was at this juncture that many more members of the
\ninternational community regarded Israel as a full-fledged
\npartner. The historical reconciliation with the Palestinians,
\nsealed in the 1993 Oslo Accord, and the two interim agreements
\nsigned by Israel and the Palestinian Authority, broke the ground
\nfor a comprehensive solution of the Arab-Israeli conflict.<\/p>\n
The peace treaty signed with Jordan in 1994 added an extremely
\nimportant building block to this whole structure. Last but not
\nleast, political negotiations with Syria have also been on the
\nagenda of the two countries.<\/p>\n
The number of countries which maintain full diplomatic
\nrelations with Israel has reached 160. There are 107 Israeli
\nembassies, consulates and diplomatic representations spread
\nworldwide, including in seven countries which are members of the
\nArab League. And yet, Indonesia has remained one of a very few
\ncountries that does not have official ties with Israel.<\/p>\n
The democratization process in Indonesia and the election of
\nPresident Abdurrahman Wahid has given rise to a new awareness
\nabout the need to improve relations with Israel. This has opened
\nthe door, for the first time, to a public debate and open
\ndiscussion on Indonesia-Israel relations.<\/p>\n
A trade delegation from Israel visited Jakarta for the first
\ntime in December 1999. A reciprocal visit of a high-ranking
\ndelegation of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry was
\nrecently sent to Israel, headed by its president, Aburizal
\nBakrie. Those visits and other promising exchanges by a growing
\nnumber of Indonesians in many sectors should be viewed as healthy
\nsigns of normalizing bilateral relations.<\/p>\n
Regarding Israel's geopolitical and economic global status,
\nIsrael maintains close ties with the European Community and the
\nUnited States alike, which are based, among others, on similar
\ndemocratic political structures and values.<\/p>\n
Israel also enjoys warm relations with many Asian countries.
\nChina and India, for example, established formal relations with
\nIsrael in 1992. The ties are based on common interests in various
\nfields, such as agriculture, and formalized in a whole range of
\nagreements.<\/p>\n
A recent six-day visit by the Chinese president followed with
\nvisits by India's foreign and internal affairs ministers
\nexemplifies the strong relations Israel enjoys with these
\ncountries. Ties between Indonesia and Israel based on a win-win
\naffiliation would be conceived as a natural development of
\nrelations between two democratic states.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is the largest Muslim nation in the world. As such,
\nit can also play a constructive role in the Middle East peace
\nprocess through maintaining friendship and dialog with the two
\nsides. Indonesia's balanced and positive contribution to peace in
\nthe Middle East would be greatly appreciated.<\/p>\n
From an economic perspective, although small in size -- 21,000
\nsquare kilometers -- and in numbers -- 6 million citizens
\n(including 15 percent non-Muslims) -- Israel's economy generates
\nover US$100 billion annually, which corresponds approximately to
\ntwo-thirds of Indonesia's gross domestic product.<\/p>\n
Israel exports about $25 billion to the world a year, out of
\nwhich, regretfully, only $20 million reaches Indonesia. Israel
\nimports about $30 billion which represents about the same volume
\nas Indonesia's imports.<\/p>\n
Israel constitutes a relatively large and developed domestic
\nmarket with quality-oriented consumers. With almost no natural
\nresources, its high-tech sector places Israel among leading
\nglobal high-tech players.<\/p>\n
Israel's economy complements the resource-rich Indonesia,
\nwhich invites technological expertise. The complementary
\ncharacter of our respective economies has long been observed by
\nIndonesian and Israeli businessmen who try, albeit with no formal
\nties, to pursue their interests.<\/p>\n
As in its relations with other friendly nations, Israel is
\nwilling to nurture and support mutually beneficial economic
\nexchanges and, in addition, to assist Indonesia with technology
\nand know-how, particularly in the field of agriculture, and also
\nby making use of its extensive international technical assistance
\nprograms.<\/p>\n
It is our sincere belief in Israel that future bilateral
\nrelations between Indonesia and Israel hold a significant
\npotential in many fields. By establishing full-fledged formal
\nties, the two countries will create the necessary prerequisites
\nfor many of their respective citizens to reap the benefits of
\nprosperous and friendly relations.<\/p>\n
The writer is a Singapore-based Israeli diplomat, who
\naddressed the above mentioned seminar in late March.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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