Zero ties with Israel limits Indonesia's role.

(From The Jakarta Post)

from THE JAKARTA POST -- FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 2006 -- PAGE 10 There should be a national debate regarding the pluses and minuses of Indonesia opening links with Israel because the lack of contact with the Jewish state is limiting Jakarta's role in the Middle East, experts say

The government, they assert, should soon start educating the public on the importance of opening contacts with Israel for the country to enjoy a greater role in the Middle East, while at the same time encouraging people-to-people contact with Israelis

"The absence of relations has become a barrier for us to assume a mediator role in the Middle Eastern …