Indonesia announced Thursday that it will not grant entry visas to Israel’s national gymnastics team, which had been preparing to compete in the world championships set to open on October 19 in Jakarta.
Indonesia’s justice minister said the Israeli athletes “will not enter our country until Israel recognizes a Palestinian state,” stressing that “the decision is not open to negotiation.”
The statement from the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation came shortly after a surprising speech at the United Nations by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who said that “Israel’s security must be guaranteed as a condition for true peace.” He also confirmed that Indonesia is willing to send troops as part of an international force in Gaza.
Two years ago, Indonesia was slated to host the Under-20 World Cup but lost the tournament to Argentina after refusing to host Israel’s national soccer team.
In response, the Israel Gymnastics Federation said, “As of now, the federation has not received any official notice on the matter from the competition organizers or the International Gymnastics Federation. We are in contact with all relevant parties.”
The federation added that “with the support of the Sports Ministry and the Olympic Committee, every possible effort has been made to ensure the team’s participation in the season’s most important competition. We hope that our athletes, including Olympic champion Artem Dolgopyat, will be able to compete like all other nations.”