REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BOGOR -- President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has confirmed that Indonesia will refuse any Israeli ships to enter all ports in the country. He said all ports in Indonesia would not be used to dock ships or serve Israeli interests.

“Some time ago there was also an issue about Israeli ships. I would like to reiterate that Indonesian ports will not be used to serve Israel's interests. Firm that,” Jokowi said in a statement posted on Youtube of the Presidential Secretariat quoted in Jakarta, Friday (26/1/2024).

Earlier, the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) replied to an open letter regarding the request to ban Israeli merchant ships from docking at several ports in Indonesia. Ministry of Interior Spokesperson Adita Irawati confirmed that it had followed up on the open letter.

“In connection with this open letter, we have followed up by checking the information submitted,” Adita told Republika.co.id in Jakarta on Tuesday (2/1/2024).

Adita confirmed that the Ministry of Internal Affairs never gave permission to Israeli-flagged merchant ships. In particular, to dock in an Indonesian port.

“Since the outbreak of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that heated up some time ago, no merchant ships with Israeli flags or flags other than Israel have sailed between Indonesia and Israel,” Adita said.

Instagram account @greschinov uploaded an open letter addressed to Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi. In the open letter, it was written that searches revealed Israeli merchant ships ZIM Trade had scheduled berths in the ports of Jakarta, Belawan, Semarang, and Surabaya.

“We propose and implore you to ban Israeli merchant ships from docking at our four berths as a form of our struggle for Palestinian independence,” wrote anti-Israel Netizen Yulid Special Operations Unit commander Erlangga Greschinov in an open letter dated January 1, 2024.

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