The Indonesian Ulama Council calls on the government to protect consumers from Israeli products
JAKARTA: Indonesia's Ulama Council called on the government on Tuesday to protect consumers from products linked to Israel as imports surged despite no diplomatic ties between Jakarta and Tel Aviv.
Indonesia has been among the most vocal countries demanding an end to Israel's occupation of Palestine and an end to international military support and arms sales to Tel Aviv, especially since the start of Israel's deadly invasion of Gaza.
Campaigns calling for boycotts of companies with direct or perceived links to Israeli institutions are also a regular occurrence in a country where many people see Palestinian statehood as mandated by their constitution.
In this context, many were shocked when the latest data from the country's Central Bureau of Statistics showed growing economic ties with Israel, with imports to Indonesia reaching more than $35 million between January and May.
Although this amount is not significant in Indonesia's total trade volume, it is almost four times higher than the US$8.85 million recorded in the same period in 2023 and surpasses last year's US$21.9 million. Official data also showed that exports to Israel from Indonesia reached more than $66 million in May.
The growing volume of the trade made national headlines earlier this month, prompting calls for the government to act.
While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on trade matters and the Ministry of Commerce did not respond to questions about trade relations with Israel, Indonesia's Ulema Council, or MUI, the country's top religious body, said trade ties “must be stopped.”
MUI Chairman for Foreign Relations, Dr. Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim, told Arab News that the government must protect Indonesian consumers under existing laws.
“We have a consumer protection law, so the government should follow it to protect consumers from Israeli products, whatever they are,” he said.
Weeks after the start of the Israeli invasion, the MUI issued a fatwa, or religious decree, banning Indonesian Muslims from buying products that had any ties to Israel.
“Any trade is bound to bring profits, and whatever the value of our imports from Israel, of course there are profits involved. This financial gain is what could potentially play an important role in funding major Israeli programs right now,” Hakim said. “Since Israel's current main agenda is to finish Palestine, let's not support it.”
Israeli ground and air strikes over the past nine months have killed more than 39,000 Palestinian citizens in Gaza, according to official estimates, although a study published in the Lancet earlier this month estimated that the actual death toll could exceed 186,000.
“The existence of trade relations, especially their growth, gives Israel room to try other channels of relations with Indonesia, and this is dangerous. It will weaken Indonesia's spirit in defending Palestine.
Members of Indonesian civil society are also calling on the government to halt trade relations with Israel.
“To me, it's a hypocritical double standard. On the one hand, the government condemns the genocide of the Zionists and urges a ceasefire, but on the other hand, it continues trade relations,” Muhammad Anshorullah of the Jakarta Al-Aqsa Task Force told Arab News.
“I call on the government to also take strong action … to stop trade relations with Zionist Israel.”
Cecep Jasim, who coordinated the 1,000-strong march to Gaza in West Java last November, said trade relations with Israel were at odds with Indonesia's stance on Palestine.
“We urge the cessation of all business activities with Israel… The government must categorically reject all kinds of relations with Zionist Israel so that Indonesia is not perceived as having a foot in both camps for its own gain,” he said.
The Indonesian branch of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement, which calls for economic and trade pressure in opposition to Israel, also protested the Indonesian-Israeli trade ties.
“BDS rejects Indonesia's trade relations with Israel in all its forms, that is clear. We demand that the Ministry of Trade end this… Considering the growing volume, this is extremely regrettable, especially when it is happening in the middle of an ongoing genocide, such growth should not be happening and needs to be corrected, BDS Indonesia Chief Muhammad Syauqi Hafiz said Arab News.
“Indonesia should not be satisfied with its current position, it is not enough. There has to be more, a political escalation that will also try to stop Israel, not just defend Palestine. That is how it should be if Indonesia is sincere in its commitments.”
Media Wahyu Askar, director of public policy at the Center for Economic and Legal Studies, said Indonesia is not dependent on Israeli products and can find substitutes from other countries.
“The government should seriously consider calls to boycott products associated with Israel and even products from Israel, because such boycott calls are extremely effective in pressuring the private sector to stop working with Israel,” he told Arab News, adding that “it would will not have any significant negative impact on the Indonesian economy.
Indonesia's imports between January and May 2024 were worth about $91 billion, meaning that imports from Israel – most of which went through third countries – accounted for less than 0.05 percent.
But for Israel, Indonesia has “strategic value,” Askar said.
“In the next few years, Israel is expected to continue to seek ways to influence Indonesia's political economy and normalize trade relations to gain global influence,” he said.
