Jakarta, The Indonesia Post – The Palestinian government stated that it did not have a problem with the participation of the Israeli national team in the U-20 World Cup because it was Indonesia’s authority as the host.
According to the Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia Zuhair Al-Shun, his government is not in a position to support or reject Israel’s participation in the football tournament.
“The authority is in the hands of Indonesia. We cannot accept or reject, because that is up to Indonesia,” said Zuhair when delivering a press statement at the Palestinian Embassy in Jakarta, Wednesday afternoon.
He said Palestine understood Indonesia’s position as a host subject to the rules of the International Football Federation (FIFA) in organizing the U-20 World Cup.
As the host, said Zuhair, Indonesia must facilitate every participating team and ensure that everything goes well for the success of this international tournament.
“The participation of each country in this event certainly has nothing to do with the likes or dislikes of a country, because every country participates as part of a competition that runs according to applicable rules,” said Zuhair.
However, referring to the holding of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Zuhair hoped that Indonesia could also “include” Palestine in the U-20 World Cup, even though the Palestinian team did not compete in the event.
Qatar, which has not maintained diplomatic relations with Israel, allowed football fans from that country to attend last year’s World Cup.
The Palestinian flag was then frequently flown during the World Cup in Qatar. The flag was increasingly being waved by supporters of Morocco, who are friendly to Palestine, when their team broke through to the semifinals.
“We know that many countries have voiced their support for Palestine (during the Qatar World Cup) and this shows that Palestine is in the hearts of many people,” said Zuhair.
“I am sure that Palestine will always be in the hearts of the Indonesian nation and government, so that Palestine will also be present at the event (U-20 World Cup) which will be held in Indonesia,” he said, adding.
Previously, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the Israeli national team’s participation in the U-20 World Cup would not shake RI’s support for Palestine.
“The Indonesian government’s position on the Palestinian issue will never change and is very consistent. Indonesia is one of the few countries that continues to consistently support the struggle of the Palestinian people,” said Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah last week.
Regarding the technicalities of organizing the U-20 World Cup, the government has prepared political, diplomatic and security channels to anticipate the pros and cons of Israel’s participation in the tournament.
The participation of the Israeli national team in the U-20 World Cup has reaped pros and cons. Several parties in Indonesia criticized Israel because of its conflict with Palestine.
Israel’s presence has become a hot topic of public discussion. Some believe that Indonesia does not support Palestine because it allowed Israel to appear in the world junior tournament.
The Israel U-20 national team has the right to appear at the 2023 U-20 World Cup in Indonesia after becoming a finalist for the 2022 U-19 European Cup. (mhn/bbs)
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