Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population, is moving towards establishing diplomatic relations with Israel, as reported by Yedioth Aharonot this Thursday morning.

After three months of undisclosed negotiations involving Israel, Indonesia, and the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), an agreement has been reached. Under this agreement, Indonesia commits to normalizing its relations with Jerusalem, in exchange for Israel lifting its objections to Indonesia’s OECD membership.

According to a letter sent approximately two weeks ago by OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann to Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, the wording of which was endorsed by Indonesia, it stated: “I am pleased to announce that the Council has officially agreed to the early, clear, and explicit condition that Indonesia maintain diplomatic relations with all member countries of the organization before any decision is made to accept it into the OECD. Furthermore, any future decision to accept Indonesia as a member will require unanimous agreement among all members, including Israel. I am confident that this provides you with reassurance on this important matter.”

Minister Katz responded, expressing his anticipation that this process would signal a change for Indonesia, expecting a positive shift in its policy towards Israel, including an end to its discriminatory practices and the establishment of full diplomatic relations between the two parties.

For Indonesia to join the OECD, the consent of all 38 current member nations is necessary, with one condition being the existence of diplomatic relations between all countries.

Although the OECD requested Israel not to oppose Indonesia’s accession, Indonesia’s behavior during the conflict and its support for South Africa’s accusations of genocide against Israel at the International Court of Justice led to strong opposition from the Jewish State. Talks were initiated by the OECD’s Secretary-General, culminating in an agreement that Indonesia would commit to establishing official diplomatic relations with Israel before the final vote on its OECD membership.

The process for the Muslim-majority country’s accession will span at least two years and involves meeting a series of benchmarks that will be assessed by expert committees, including Israeli members who retain the authority to halt the entire process.