Questioning The Government's Consistency In Rejection Of Israeli Gymnastics Athletes In Indonesia

JAKARTA The Indonesian government's decision to cancel the visa of the delegation of Israeli athletes at the 2025 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta is considered mere symbolic and creates ambiguity instead.

Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections (Menko Kumham Imipas) Yusril Ihza Mahendra said the Indonesian government would not grant visas to Israeli gymnastics athletes who plan to compete in the World Championships in Jakarta on 19-25 October.

This attitude, said Yusril, is in line with President Prabowo Subianto's directives on various occasions.

"And finally in his very harsh UN speech criticizing Israel for continuously committing atrocities and barbarity against the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza," Yusril said in a video spread on social media.

"And the Indonesian government firmly believes that it will not have any contact with the Israeli side," he said.

International relations observers say the Indonesian government needs to take a firm stance to reject the Israeli team's presence. Meanwhile, PARA Syndicate Executive Director, Virdika Rizky Utama assessed that the rejection of the Israeli gymnastics team was not only a matter of solidarity, but also a matter of policy consistency.

Previously, the plan to attend the Israeli contingent at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championship which will be held in Jakarta on 19-25 October 2025 was rejected by various community groups.

Among them are the Indonesian Ulema Council, DKI Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung, and a number of politicians in the House of Representatives. The rejection of the presence of Israeli artistic gymnastics athletes in Indonesia is a form of support for Palestine as well as condemning Israel's genocide in Gaza.

Since the Israeli-Hamas war broke out on October 7, 2023, the global public has called for a boycott of products affiliated with Israel. This was done to be able to put pressure on Israel over the genocide committed in Gaza.

Boycott efforts are increasingly being carried out, even in international forums.

One of them was a number of state representatives who walked out when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the UN's top-level conference in New York, United States, some time ago.

International Law Expert from the University of Indonesia Hikmahanto Juwana said that the rejection of the international community against Israelis visiting abroad was also referred to as another form of boycott.

"For example, the Israeli people came to another country and then there were other nationals angry with Netanyahu but then vented it to Israelis. This is a form of pressure because Israelis feel that under Netanyahu with many of these attacks it is not that they are more secure but even more threatened," said Hikmahanto Juwana.

"If we do the same with the contingent from Israel. We forbid, for example, the impact is that the Israeli government must also think. It turns out that a country with moderate Islam like Indonesia, prohibits them from entering."

Hikmahanto then compared the world's treatment of Israel with Russia, which was denied competition in a number of competitions for raising the flag of war against Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Israel, which is considered more cruel, is allowed to compete and the public is asked not to associate it with politics.

"The way to disagree with Israel's actions in Gaza and support for Palestine, the team should not be allowed to enter," Hikmahanto said.

Similarly, the founder of the Independent Synergy Policies research institute Dinna Prapto Raharja said that the precedent for sanctions against Russia must also be fair.

"No country should be discriminated against. Because Israel's violations are very serious, it agrees with the contingent boycott," he said.

Meanwhile, Executive Director of PARA Syndicate Virdika Rizky Utama emphasized that the rejection of the arrival of Israeli athletes to Jakarta was not merely a matter of technical immigration or sports protocols. According to Virdika, this is a political gesture full of symbolic cargo so that it is interesting to read structurally.

In the rejection of the Israeli athlete, it was the Coordinating Minister for Law and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra who conveyed the government's decision, not the direct president. This means that, said Virdika, the government is playing a narrative delegation strategy.

"The president remains in a flexible diplomatic position, while his aides take over a more assertive political stance," said Virdika.

This attitude can mean a distinctive ambiguous in Indonesian foreign politics. On the one hand, the government wants to continue to show its commitment to the Palestinian issue, without having to issue a frontal statement that could disrupt bilateral or multilateral diplomatic rhythms.

"By placing Yusril as the spokesperson for rejection, the government can maintain a distance between the head of state and a potentially sensitive issue internationally. This is not inconsistency, but calculation," he explained.

However, Virdika also reminded the public to continue to read the government's critical flow of attitude. Because, the rejection of the Israeli gymnastics team is not only a matter of solidarity, but also a matter of policy consistency.

He questioned whether this rejection would serve as all forms of Israel's participation in international forums or only selective based on public pressure and political moments. Virdika also warned the government not to reject athletes on the one hand, but on the other hand to open up space for economic or technological cooperation.

According to records, the Ministry of Trade has released a total value of Indonesia's exports to Israel reaching US$185.6 million (around Rp2.9 trillion) in 2022. This figure is up 14 percent compared to the previous period.

According to Virdika, what is more important now is not who is rejected, but how the rejection is communicated. He also warned whether there was an explanation that touched the root of the conflict, whether there was a narrative linking this rejection to Indonesia's position on the occupation, apartheid, and the impunity of Israel.

"Otherwise, this rejection will only be read as an empty gesture or just a symbol without substance," he said.

Furthermore, Virdika explained the complex impact on Indonesia's foreign policy regarding the solution of the two countries caused by the rejection.

As is known, President Prabowo approved the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian peace through the Two-State Solution scheme. He revealed this in the forum for the 80th UN General Assembly last September.

Prabowo also emphasized that diplomatic relations with the Israeli government will not be opened until there is certainty of Palestinian independence status.

"As for Israel, it recognizes the existence of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state, and then the Indonesian government opens diplomatic relations with Israel and has other international normal relations," said the Head of State.

On the one hand, this rejection can be considered symbolic consistency, that Indonesia rejects normalization with Israel during occupation and violence is still ongoing. But on the other hand, it opens up space for ambiguity.

"If Indonesia supports a two-state solution, then in principle it must recognize the existence of two equal political entities. However, the rejection of the presence of Israeli athletes shows that the recognition has not been fully translated into practice," concluded Virdika.