Tahir’s statement came in response to the International Olympic Committee’s announcement, which urged international sports federations to avoid holding sports events in the country and declared the suspension of all talks related to Jakarta’s ambition to host the 2036 Summer Olympics. Indonesia, the largest Muslim-majority country globally, had refused to grant visas to Israeli athletes, based on objections from the government and the country’s Islamic Council, asserting that “this stance aligns with its policy of freezing relations with Israel until it recognizes independence.” Tahir acknowledged that “continuing to refuse Israeli athletes will prevent Indonesia from hosting world championships or Olympic events, including the Youth Olympics.” Nevertheless, he reaffirmed his country’s commitment to actively participating in regional and international sports events.
In the same context, Spain has recently witnessed anti-Israel protests and calls to prevent Israeli sports teams from participating in various competitions due to the situation in the Gaza Strip. Sanchez said in a press conference that his country decided to “ban arms supplies to Israel, as well as prohibit ships carrying fuel for the Israeli army from passing through Spanish ports.” Spain also decided to “ban all aircraft carrying defense materials to Israel from entering Spanish airspace, as well as prohibit entry of all individuals directly involved in genocide and war crimes into Spanish territory, and ban imports of products from illegal settlements in Gaza and the West Bank.”
It is noteworthy that US President Donald announced on October 9th this year that Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement had reached an agreement to implement the first phase of the “peace plan,” which aims to end the ongoing armed conflict in the Gaza Strip that has lasted for two years. Under the agreement, Hamas released 20 hostages it had held since October 7, 2023, while Israel released 1,718 prisoners from the sector, who were returned to their homes, in addition to 250 Palestinian prisoners with life or long-term sentences who were transferred to other Palestinian territories or deported.
