Indonesia-Israel ties not in the cards for now

President Prabowo Subianto may have raised Indonesia’s diplomatic profile in the Middle East, but going by public sentiments, opening diplomatic ties with Israel is not in the cards. The war in Gaza has made that prospect even more remote.

One recent example of this came when the government canceled Israel’s participation at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta on Oct. 19–25 due to public pressure. Indonesia would not issue visas for the six qualified Israeli athletes.

The protests had initially come from Islamic groups, but Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung lent his weight when he said the city would not host or welcome Israeli athletes. This left the government with no choice but to reject their visa applications.

Although the two countries have no diplomatic ties, Indonesia in the past has issued visas for Israeli visitors, including tourists and business people, under certain conditions and for a huge fee. Conversely, before the Gaza war began in October 2023, up to 50,000 Indonesians traveled to Israel each year, mostly for pilgrimages to Christian and Islamic holy sites.

Indonesia was spared from embarrassment or incurring a penalty for rejecting the Israeli athletes. The Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), based in Lausanne, Switzerland, rejected Israel’s appeals for its athletes to be allowed to compete in Jakarta, or alternatively to cancel the event or move it out of Jakarta.

The situation in Gaza may have explained why CAS ruled in Indonesia’s favor, but Indonesia cannot count on luck next time it is hosting international competitions in which Israel is participating. In 2023, Indonesia was stripped of its right to host the U-20 World Cup football tournament by FIFA, the world soccer governing body, after it refused entry to the Israeli team.

Indonesia is currently bidding to host the Olympics in 2036. Hardening public sentiments against Israel’s participation in any sports events held in Indonesia will likely jeopardize the country’s chances of winning the bid.

As in 2023, the Indonesian government had earlier given assurances that the Israeli gymnasts would be given visas and extra security protection. But public opinion was so dead set against the idea that the government relented.

This latest episode happened just as Indonesia, under President Prabowo, is getting more engaged in the Middle East peace process, raising the prospects of the government softening its stance against Israel.

Making his debut in the UN General Assembly last month, President Prabowo delivered a speech that won international plaudits when he addressed the Palestine/Israel conflict. Praise for the speech came from no less than Israeli President Benjamin Netananyahu. Prabowo is one of 20 world leaders who attended the declaration of Gaza peace led by United States President Donald Trump in Egypt on Oct. 13.

Questions were raised at home when Prabowo, in his United Nations General Assembly speech, said Indonesia would recognize the state of Israel on the condition of their recognition of a Palestinian state, and even offered to provide security guarantees under the two-state solution.

No previous Indonesian leader had gone as far as he did in addressing the question of ties with Israel. Indonesia’s long-held policy has been not to open diplomatic ties with Israel until after Palestine gains her independent homeland.

Questions were raised again when Prabowo’s picture appeared, along with several other leaders from Muslim majority countries, in huge posters in Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities, portraying them as endorsing Trump’s Gaza peace plan. There were more questions about Prabowo’s approach when Israeli media reported that the Indonesian leader was stopping over in Tel Aviv after his trip to Egypt.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed the Israeli media reports and, in a statement, reiterated that Indonesia’s approach to Israel remained unchanged, that the country would continue to campaign for the Palestinians to gain their independence, and only then would Jakarta consider diplomatic ties with Israel.

There had been informal contacts between Indonesia and Israel to explore the possibility of opening diplomatic ties. Indonesia has also been approached by the US government about joining the Abraham Accords, which have brought together Israel with Muslim-majority countries. These contacts ended when the Gaza war erupted in October 2023.  Public opinion against Israel has only hardened with the genocide that has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians.

For now, the idea of opening diplomatic ties with Israel has been put on the back burner.