A Message from Israel: This Indonesian President Has Responded as Follows

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Not many people know that Israel had repeatedly sent letters and special messages to the President of Indonesia. However, all these efforts were ignored by the president and his circle of power because Indonesia, from the outset, held a strong principle of siding with Palestine.

The tale unfolds in the early years of Indonesia’s independence. As a newly formed country born from a long struggle against colonialism, recognition of sovereignty from other states became a crucial foundation for Indonesia’s existence on the international stage. One of the earliest states to recognise Indonesia was Israel.

However, since Israel’s founding in 1948, Indonesia’s attitude toward the state has been clear and consistent: opposing it. This rejection is not merely a foreign policy choice but stems from ideological principles embedded in the Preamble to the 1945 Constitution.

“That freedom of independence is the right of all nations and therefore colonisation of the world must be abolished, because it is incompatible with humanity and justice,” wrote the Preamble to the 1945 Constitution.

Thus, the existence of Israel, which occupies Palestine, cannot be recognised. Nevertheless, Israel continued to attempt to open diplomatic channels.

In the research “Indonesia and Israel: A Relationship in Waiting” (2005), Greg Barton and Colin Rubenstein reveal that in December 1949, Israeli President Chaim Weizmann and Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion sent a telegram to Indonesia’s first President Soekarno and Vice President Mohammad Hatta. The telegram contained congratulations on Indonesia’s achievement of sovereignty recognition from the Netherlands on 27 December 1949.

However, the message did not receive an official response from the Indonesian government. Not giving up, Israel sent another message. This time, it explicitly stated recognition of Indonesia’s full sovereignty.

The message was eventually replied by Mohammad Hatta. He expressed thanks but firmly refused to provide a reciprocal diplomatic recognition of Israel.

“Hatta responded to the Israel letter with thanks, but did not want to establish diplomatic relations,” they write.

Israel’s efforts did not stop there. In May 1950, the Israeli government again sent a letter offering aid to Indonesia as it was building its post-war administration. However, the message was again ignored.

All this was done to obtain official recognition from Indonesia and to open diplomatic relations. But Indonesia continued to refuse to recognise Israel and did not open any cooperation.

Over time, this stance hardened. Indonesia under Sukarno grew more resolute in its opposition. According to the study “Indonesia and Israel: A Relationship in Waiting” (2005), the early signs of pro-Arab and anti-Israel policy appeared in June 1952. At that time, Arab press reported that the Indonesian government did not intend to recognise Israel.

The reason was that the majority of Indonesia’s population is Muslim and there was strong support from Arab states in Indonesia’s struggle for independence.

That political line was reflected in concrete policy. At the 1955 Afro-Asian Conference, Indonesia did not invite Israel and instead involved Palestine. At the 1962 Asian Games, the Indonesian government also refused to permit an Israeli delegation to Jakarta.

To this day, Indonesia has never established diplomatic relations with the Zionist state.