Indonesia has denied visas to Israeli gymnasts, preventing them from competing in this month’s World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta, a sports official said Friday, amid criticism of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.
The Israeli team was scheduled to participate in the event from Oct. 19 to 25 in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, which has no formal diplomatic ties with Israel.
“They are confirmed to not be attending,” Ita Juliati, head of the Indonesian Gymnastics Federation, told reporters.
The Israel Gymnastics Federation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Indonesia decided not to issue visas to the Israeli athletes, Senior Legal Affairs Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said, citing objections from groups such as a council of Islamic clerics and the Jakarta government.
The decision aligns with Indonesia’s longstanding policy of maintaining no ties with Israel until it recognizes “the independence and full sovereignty of the state of Palestine,” Yusril said in a statement Friday.
The most recent Israeli campaign in Gaza, which began in October 2023 after an attack by Hamas and has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in the enclave, has drawn criticism from Indonesia.
Israel launched the assault following Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, incursions on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages.
A recent Instagram post by the Indonesian Gymnastics Federation drew hundreds of pro-Palestinian comments from domestic users, days after the Israeli association confirmed it would attend the Jakarta event.
Under the government of President Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia has slightly softened its stance on Israel.
“The world must have an independent Palestine, but also recognize and guarantee the safety and security of Israel,” Prabowo said last month at the United Nations General Assembly.
This is not the first sports-related dispute between the two countries.
In March 2023, FIFA stripped Indonesia of hosting the Under-20 World Cup, citing failure to honor commitments after a regional governor refused to host the Israeli team.
Last month, U.N. experts called on FIFA and the Union of European Football Associations to suspend Israel as a national team from international competition, describing it as “a necessary response to address the ongoing genocide in the occupied Palestinian territory.”
Israel has rejected accusations of genocide.
