Indonesia Actually Trades with Israel

Recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel will exacerbate the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict. In a speech at the White House, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announced the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Indonesia, while not having diplomatic relations with Israel, does maintain trade relations. Data from the Ministry of Trade shows that Indonesian trade with Israel from January to September reached US$192.97 million, or approximately Rp 2.6 trillion. This represents a 30 percent increase compared to the same period the previous year, which was valued at US$148.4 million. Indonesian exports to Israel reached US$92.14 million, while imports from Israel amounted to US$100.8 million. As a result, Indonesia experienced a trade deficit of US$8.67 million.

On the Cabinet Secretariat website, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi stated that recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel would seriously endanger the peace process, jeopardize peace itself, and provoke instability not only in the Middle East but also in other regions.