A few weeks ago, Israellycool contributor David Wiseman reported on protests in Indonesia and pronouncements from officials opposing Israeli’s participation in the 2023 U20 World Cup, which was to be held there. Since then, FIFA stripped Indonesia of its hosting duty due to the growing uncertainty over whether the team from Israel would be able to compete in there without disruption.
But to ABC News Australia’s Anne Barker, the victims here are not the Israeli football team, who qualified for the tournament and have been unfairly discriminated against. They are the Indonesians – you know, the ones who engaged in the discrimination.
While I do genuinely feel sorry for any Indonesians who are not anti-Israel nor have any interest in involving politics with sport, Barker’s take is one-sided. While she speaks of Indonesia as being a “staunch supporter of palestinian rights and therefore a very strong opponent of Israel and its occupation of the palestinian territories,” the truth is not as simple as this. Indonesia does not want to provoke the country’s Islamist elements, which is why attempts over the years to forge direct ties have failed. Besides, to say Israel is occupying “palestinian territories” is not true. The 1967 territories are disputed, and most of those opposing Israel’s participation in the 2023 U20 World Cup oppose Israel’s very existence.
I am not surprised by Barker’s biased take, given her history. In 2009, the ABC was forced to issue a correction and apologize for Barker’s false statement that “Both the International Court of Justice and Israel’s Supreme Court have ruled that the West Bank wall is illegal and must be pulled down.”
Hat tip: Martin
