President Joko Widodo of Indonesia reassured that despite the cancellation of the Under-20 football World Cup matches due to protests against Israel’s inclusion, there would be no deviations from the country’s foreign policies.
The President, who’s widely known as Jokowi, highlighted Indonesia’s backing of Palestine and the two-state solution. He also pointed out that Israel was approved to join after Indonesia had already won the right to host.
PSSI announced on Sunday that the upcoming tournament draw was cancelled after Bali’s governor refused to accommodate Israel’s team. This decision has been made due to the previous rejection of Israel’s participation in any activities on the island.
Indonesian authorities mentioned that Bali’s governor not granting permission to Israel to visit due to its policies regarding the Palestinians could have been a factor in the cancellation of the draw. Additionally, there was also a call for Israel to be thrown out of the cup. Recently, roughly a hundred Muslims marched in Jakarta to express their dissent against Israel’s involvement.
A spokesperson from FIFA declared that the evaluation of all tournament venues was complete but did not elaborate on the discussion between PSSI Chairman or a potential time for the draw. Formal diplomatic ties between the two countries are absent and the Palestinian cause is popular among the majority of Muslims in the most populous nation.
