Jakarta. Senior minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said Thursday that the government would not let six Israeli athletes enter its country to take part in the 2025 World Artistic Gymnastics.

The sports event is set to take place in Jakarta from Oct. 19-25.

“The Indonesian government will not grant a visa to the Israeli athletes. This aligns with what President Prabowo Subianto had said at the UN General Assembly on how we strongly condemned Israel for its atrocities against Palestinians,” Yusril said.

According to Yusril, Indonesia will not establish ties until Israel recognizes Palestinian independence and sovereignty. 

"Opposition to the presence of Israeli athletes also came from various religious organizations, the Indonesian Ulema Council [MUI], and other elements of society. All of this was taken into consideration by the government," he said.

Yusril admitted he had spoken with Immigration Minister Agus Andrianto over the matter. The latter revealed that the international artistic gymnastics federation had penned a sponsorship letter for Israeli athletes.

“They [the federation] withdrew the sponsorship letter after learning our stance that we would not grant visas for Israeli athletes,” Yusril said.

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