Delegations from Pakistan and Indonesia are in Israel for secret talks, Israel’s i24NEWS reported on Monday.
The Pakistani delegation comprises nine members and is headed by former Development Minister Nasim Ashraf; a Karachi-based journalist is also part of the touring group. However, neither the journalist nor the other members, apart from Ashraf, were willing to reveal their identities.
The second Pakistani and Pakistani American delegation has left for Israel.
— Hamza Azhar Salam (@HamzaAzhrSalam) September 19, 2022
Great job @anilaali, @sharakango, @ammwecofficial.
According to i24, the delegation conducted tours across Israel and was briefed on Israel’s geopolitics, history, religion, and culture. Israeli officials also informed the delegation about Israel’s technological progress, especially its achievements in water conservation. The report said the delegation would meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem later this week.
The channel also mentioned that an Indonesian delegation headed by a “senior official” is in Israel.
Even though Islamabad and Jakarta do not maintain formal diplomatic ties with Israel, the two countries have recently signalled a willingness to improve relations.
In February, Israeli soldiers for the first time participated in a United States-led maritime exercise in the Red Sea along with their Pakistani and Saudi Arabian counterparts. In addition, last year, Pakistan procured Israeli technology via the United Kingdom to protect its nuclear arsenal.
Another Pakistani delegation is currently in Israel, and per report - there's also one from Indonesia here.
— avi scharf (@avischarf) September 20, 2022
(from some reason, the report calls them "diplomatic delegations" - wonder if their relevant governments gave their blessing)https://t.co/DWUN4WSexA
Furthermore, Israeli President Herzog revealed in May that he had met with a Pakistani delegation. A Haaretz report claimed that a 15-member delegation from Pakistan visited the country. While Islamabad rejected Herzog’s claims, news of the visit sparked a public outcry across the country over fears that Pakistan could normalise ties with Israel and abandon the Palestinian cause.
In May, Pakistani journalist Ahmed Qureshi and Pakistani Jew Fischel BenKhald visited the country despite every Pakistani passport being inscribed with a warning that the document is not valid for travel to Israel. They also returned to Pakistan without any issues.
Indonesia’s leaders, meanwhile, have repeatedly claimed that Jakarta has no plans to normalise ties with Israel anytime soon. Following the signing of the 2020 Abraham Accords, in which the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco normalised relations with Israel, several reports claimed that Indonesia was on the verge of establishing formal ties with Israel. Jakarta, however, rejected such claims.
Warming relations - diplomatic delegations from Pakistan and Indonesia are visiting #Israel. The presence of the 2 most populous Muslim nations in the world in Israel is an important step toward normalizing relations.
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) September 19, 2022
Nevertheless, Indonesia has maintained unofficial relations with Israel by cooperating in trade and defence. Israel sold arms to Indonesia in the 1970s and 1980s, and Indonesian soldiers have also trained in Israel. Additionally, Indonesian religious tourists are a valuable source of revenue for Israel, with over 30,000 citizens flying to Israel each year.
Delegations from the two sides also held a series of meetings in 2021 to discuss trade and tourism ties.