- Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry, or Kemlu, is under pressure to make a decision on Israel’s participation at the Under-20 World Cup
- Protestors have burnt Israeli flags and called on the government to change course
- Indonesia will host the tournament in May and June of this year, with on-the-ground preparations being led by the PSSI
Politics and sport are becoming inseparable as the pressure builds on Kemlu, Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry, to block the participation of the Israeli football team in this summer’s FIFA U20 World Cup.
By hosting a successful tournament, Indonesia is confident that it can further amplify its status as an international draw and top-tier global power.
However, dissatisfaction amongst the electorate with the government’s current direction threatens to overrun this narrative. Protestors are now calling on the relevant government ministries to reverse their original decision.
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has taken the first step by noting that Indonesia’s stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict has not changed despite the protests.
Marsudi will now be working to balance this diplomatic stance with the public’s clear rejection of Israeli participation in any form – made clear in recent days on the streets of Jakarta.
The challenges for Marsudi has been magnified by Bali Governor Wayan Koster’s calls for the Israeli team to be banned from competing in his jurisdiction.
In a letter to the government, Koster noted that ‘[There is no] diplomatic relationship between the Indonesian government and the Israeli government. […] We request [that] the Minister adopts a policy forbidding the Israeli team from competing in Bali’.
The Foreign Ministry’s balancing act, therefore, is now coming under direct pressure from politicians intent on shoring up public support ahead of both national and gubernatorial races in 2024.
From the other direction, FIFA will be applying its own pressure onto the Foreign Ministry, having made clear its support for the Israeli team’s presence at the tournament.
Marsudi, therefore, is likely to intervene in the near future; using her considerable political capital to put the matter to rest.