Hidayat Nur Wahid: Israeli Athletes Rejected In Indonesia In Accordance With The Constitution And Law

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian People's Consultative Assembly, Hidayat Nur Wahid, supports the government's attitude of not granting visas for six Israeli athletes to enter Indonesia because it is in accordance with the constitution and rules of the Law (UU).

"This attitude is in line and in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, especially the opening part that Indonesia rejects all forms of colonialism and spirit from the mandate of the Constitution, which was passed down to a number of regulations, such as the Immigration Law and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia which are still valid today," said HNW as he is familiarly called, quoted by Antara, Saturday, October 11.

He said that the government's stance had also received support from all elements of society in Indonesia such as the Indonesian Ulema Council, Muhammadiyah, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), and others.

In addition, the DPR also firmly supports the government to reject the arrival of Israeli athletes as stated by Commission I in charge of foreign affairs, Commission X in charge of sports, and Commission XIII in charge of immigration.

Even the world of campus also rejects it as stated by the Chairman of the Chancellor Forum of Muhammadiyah University Prof. Makmun Murod. Moreover, in Jakarta, the location for holding the Artistic Gymnastics World Championship, DKI Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung also expressed his rejection.

"So it is appropriate that the leadership of the Indonesian Gymnastics Association (Persani) openly also supports the government's attitude of not giving visas to Israeli athletes to enter and participate in international gymnastics championships in Jakarta," he said.

He explained that the rejection of Israeli athletes was a form of sanctions for Israel over war and humanitarian crimes including genocide committed by Israel in Gaza and other territories in Palestine.

"This is also in line with the advisory opinion and intermediate decision of the International Court which ordered UN member states to act against Israel for its crimes," said HNW.

Moreover, he continued, Israel, with an agreement with Hamas for a ceasefire, did not immediately stop its war crimes, it continued to attack civilians in Gaza.

"Therefore, international boycott sanctions, including in the world of sports, are appropriate sanctions to be imposed on Israel," he said.

Furthermore, he also stated that this attitude is also in line with what has been done by the Government of Indonesia, including when it was in 2023. At that time, there was a rejection of Israeli footballers to participate in the U-20 World Cup which will be held in Indonesia.

"Supposedly armed with information on the official attitude and legal rules in Indonesia, Israeli athletes should know themselves and respect the constitution and legal rules in Indonesia by not having to register themselves to participate in activities in Indonesia," said NHW.

To that end, he hopes that Indonesia's stance can also be followed by other international communities, including prohibiting Israel from participating in international sporting events as enforced against Russia deemed to have violated international law by attacking Ukraine.

"For the sake of upholding sportsmanship and justice, if Russia is prohibited by FIFA, UEFA and others, Israel should too," he said.