Suara.com – Examining the reasons for the arrival of the U-20 Israel National Team which will appear in the 2023 Indonesia U-20 World Cup has drawn rejection from various parties in the country.
In the middle of 2023, Indonesia will hold a big celebration for the 2023 U-20 World Cup from May to June.
Ahead of this event, 24 countries including Indonesia as the host, have confirmed their place in the final round.
Of the 24 existing countries, one country that qualified for the finals of this event received a strong rejection, namely Israel as UEFA’s representative or the European zone.
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Israel itself has ensured a place in the 2023 U-20 World Cup finals after making achievements by qualifying for the semifinals of the 2022 U-19 Euros.
Because of this success, Israel then made history by qualifying for the U-20 World Cup finals for the first time.
However, this history for Israel is threatened with extinction because of the massive rejection coming from Indonesia as the host of the event.
This rejection came from various parties, which forced PSSI to intervene to collaborate with the government to mediate this matter.
The massive rejection from various parties regarding Israel’s presence at the 2023 U-20 World Cup in Indonesia has also raised questions.
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What is the cause of the many rejections of Israel’s arrival to Indonesia for the 2023 U-20 World Cup later?
Listed in Laws and Regulations
The main cause of this rejection cannot be separated from Indonesia’s non-acknowledgment of Israel’s existence as a state.
On the other hand, Indonesia also does not officially have diplomatic relations with Israel, as there is a conflict between Israel and Palestine.
In addition, culturally, the Indonesian people, who are predominantly Muslim, are more inclined towards Palestine and Arab countries, which are enemies of Israel.
The absence of recognition of the existence of Israel is also reflected in the Preamble to the 1945 Constitution in the first paragraph which reads:
“That in fact independence is the right of all nations, therefore colonialism in the world must be abolished because it is not in accordance with the principles of humanity and justice.”
Not only in the 1945 Constitution, relations between Indonesia and Israel are also contained in the Regulation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia (PERMENLU) Number 3 of 2019 concerning General Guidelines for Foreign Relations by Regional Governments.
In Chapter X regarding Indonesia-Israel Relations in article 150, it is stated that Indonesia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel and opposes Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories and people.
Even in article 151 paragraph 2, it is stated that Indonesia did not receive the Israeli delegation officially and in an official place.
In article 151 paragraph 3, it is written that there is no permission to use the Israeli flag, symbol, attributes and the playing of the Israeli national anthem in Indonesian territory.
This rule later became a reference for the presence of rejection from various parties regarding Israel’s presence at the 2023 U-20 World Cup in Indonesia.
For information, at the 2023 U-20 World Cup, Israel and other countries will be given the opportunity to use their attributes. This is contrary to PERMENLU Number 3 of 2019.
Even in its history, Indonesia has shown its rejection of Israel in various sports competitions.
In the 1958 World Cup Qualification, the first President Ir. Soekarno, once refused to compete with Israel, so that the Indonesian National Team withdrew from the event.
Then at the 1962 Asian Games, Israel, which at that time was still considered part of Asia, was rejected by Indonesia, which hosted the event.
In fact, Indonesia refused to grant visas to the Israeli contingent which led to a suspension from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after the 1962 Asian Games.
However, Indonesia has received Israeli athletes in sporting events, namely at the World Badminton Championships in 2015.
At that time, the Israeli badminton player, Misha Zilberman, had received a rejection. But in the end he was able to appear at the event which was held in Indonesia.
Even though he was able to appear, there was news that the Israeli badminton player was under strict guard because of the rejection from the community and elements present.
(Felix Indra Jaya)
