The plan for Israeli commercial ships to arrive at four Indonesian ports shortly has become a major concern for the country's public. Given Indonesia's stance against Israel's occupation of Palestine, the Indonesian government is expected to take a firm stance on this plan.
Earlier, the Instagram account @greschinov published an open letter addressed to the Minister of Transportation, Budi Karya Sumadi. The letter revealed findings indicating that ZIM Trade, a commercial ship from Israel, had scheduled stops at the ports of Jakarta, Belawan, Semarang, and Surabaya.
In response, the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) stated that it had followed up on the open letter by verifying the information provided. Following the investigation, the Ministry of Transportation confirmed that no Israeli-flagged commercial ships had been permitted to anchor in Indonesian ports.
Through Adita Irawati, the spokesperson for Kemenhub, the country also reaffirmed that the anchoring ban would continue. Adita explained that since the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict some time ago, no ships, whether Israeli-flagged or not, have passed through the waters between Indonesia and Israel. She added that in the future, the Ministry of Transportation would cooperate with relevant ministries and institutions to continuously monitor the situation. Measures will be taken to ensure that no Israeli-flagged ships enter Indonesian waters.
Meanwhile, PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Indonesia Port Corporation), or Pelindo, firmly stated that no Israeli-flagged ships would be allowed to enter or anchor in Indonesian ports. Ali Mulyono, the Group Head of the Corporate Secretariat of Pelindo, revealed that based on Pelindo's data, there were no Israeli-flagged or Israeli-origin ships anchored in Indonesian ports, including Belawan-Medan, Tanjung Priok-Jakarta, Tanjung Perak-Surabaya, and Makassar.
Ali also conveyed that according to the official statement of Kemenhub on Wednesday (January 3), the government has issued a ban on Israeli-flagged ships anchoring in Indonesia. He also stressed that ZIM ships flying the Israeli flag would not be granted entry permits to Indonesia.
