Israeli-Indonesian ties: Still a long way to go

By Oei Eng Goan

JERUSALEM (JP): Unless Israel achieves a breakthrough in its peace talks with its Arab foes and acknowledges the permanent status of an independent Palestinian nation, the Jewish state can hardly materialize its wish to have trade and diplomatic relations with Indonesia.

Israel has shown its keen interest in having friendly relations with Indonesia after President Abdurrahman Wahid hinted last October that he planned to establish economic ties with the Israeli government.

Abdurrahman, however, retracted his controversial plan following protests and pressure from several Islamic groups, including many Muslim scholars from the Nahdlatul Ulama social organization which he once chaired.

Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country by population, has consistently supported the Arab states in their conflicts with Israel and has never recognized the existence of the Jewish state.

Responding to Abdurrahman's controversial gesture, Israeli Minister for Regional Cooperation Shimon Peres said recently that he saw no reason why Indonesia and Israel could not become good friends, as the two countries were never involved in a conflict. He noted it was especially true now the Jakarta government had moved toward democracy and the international community in general was moving into a new era of globalization.

"Our enemy is not the relationship, not the country and not the difference (of political systems). Our enemy is the policy of belligerence," Peres told a group of visiting Indonesian journalists at the Knesset, or Israeli parliament.

He said that changing a status of war into friendship does not mean changing the nature of differences or culture and tradition.

Making friendship and peace, said Peres, a former Israeli prime minister and winner of the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize, was like falling in love. It required one to close a little bit of one's eyes and not to try to see one's partner in full and immediately since it was the secret of maintaining a partnership.

"I know that President (Abdurrahman) Wahid has to change so many things and that his agenda is so heavy," he said, adding that the establishment of ties between his country and Indonesia should take place amicably and gradually so that it would benefit both the Indonesian and Israeli people.

Other politicians in the Knesset, including Likud party opposition leader Gideon Ezra and representative of the Arab minority Hashem Mahameed, supported Peres' idea, saying that friendly relations of the two countries could help strengthen world peace.

"Indonesia can play an important role in helping settle conflicts in the Middle East," said Minister of Community Affairs Michael Merchior.

Ezra said that through friendly ties and exchange of communication, he expected Indonesia would better understand what Israel had done for the Palestinian people and that the Jakarta government would not always blame the Jewish people on the Palestinian issue.

"We believe the Palestinian and Israeli people live together in peace here, and every one of us can go to their holy places peacefully." He said most Islamic countries, including Indonesia, did not blame Palestinian militants when they used their smuggled arms against the Jewish people.

Another diplomat, who preferred anonymity, said he could not understand why Indonesians harbored animosity against Israel while people in several Middle Eastern, predominantly Muslim nations like Egypt, Jordan, Algeria and Morocco and even the Palestinians had extended friendship to the Jewish state.

"It's true that we are not always right. But we are not always wrong, either." He stressed that Israel, a tiny nation surrounded by big, hostile countries, had to undertake military operations at times to maintain its survival and ensure the security and safety of its citizens.

Members of the Israeli business community, meanwhile, pointed out that having economic relations did not necessarily begin with trade but could come about through cooperation in various projects. They cited examples such as the building of infrastructure and the development of agriculture and high technology in defense and telecommunications fields that could benefit both parties.

A leading Israeli electronics company producing components for military and commercial applications, Tadiran, did in fact take part in the tender offered by the Indonesian Directorate General for Post and Telecommunications for the expansion and improvement of the radio monitoring system.

"The economic relations should be best developed by holding joint ventures and not trade," said Amir Hayek, the director general of the Tel Aviv-based Israel Export Institute, which oversees more than 2,500 companies and represents 95 percent of Israeli exporters.

The director of Israel's international trade relations division, Mandy Barak, said Israeli businesspeople expressed their interest in importing Indonesia's palm oil, plywood and furniture, and that more Indonesian commodities were expected to enter Israel's market once trade offices were set up in the two countries.

"So now, the ball is in Indonesia's hands," Barak said, referring to the possibility of opening trade offices. He also said the planned visit by Indonesian businesspeople to Israel in March could bring better understanding between the two peoples.

Compared to their country's politicians, the Israeli businesspeople appeared to understand more of the Indonesian situation and aspirations in believing the Jakarta government had nothing against the Jewish state and people. The main obstacle to Indonesia opening ties with Israel is because of Jakarta's adherence to its anticolonialist stance, as stipulated in the 1945 Constitution.

Given all this and the fact that there are many more urgent internal political and economic problems that Indonesia will have to cope with in the short term to maintain its fledgling democratic government, it is obvious that relations with Israel will remain in the balance for some time.

Although the journey to diplomatic ties is still far off, a signpost pointing toward more understanding and friendly relations between the two countries has nevertheless been established.

The writer is a journalist.