MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, JAKARTA – General Secretary of Muhammadiyah Abdul Mu’ti has unequivocally stated that the hoisting of the Israeli flag across Indonesia is a violation of the law. Everyone who does it may face legal consequences.
“Raising the flags of foreign nations is only permissible for countries with established diplomatic relations with Indonesia. Such displays are solely allowed within the premises of embassies or official representations,” said Abdul Mu’ti, as reported by Republika on Wednesday (November 29).
He further elaborated on the necessity for any display of foreign flags in Indonesia to comply with the regulations outlined in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Regulation (Permenlu) Number 3 of 2019 on Foreign Relations by Local Governments. This regulation, directly endorsed by the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi, provides specific guidelines in Chapter X Special Matters point B number 150.
The regulation enforces six key points, specifically regulating Indonesia’s relations with Israel and impacting the permissibility of displaying the flag. These points include:
- Absence of official relations between any level of the Indonesian government and Israel, including official correspondence on official letterheads,
- No official acceptance of Israeli delegations formally and in official places,
- Prohibition of displaying/using flags, symbols, and other attributes, as well as broadcasting the national anthem of Israel within the territory of the Republic of Indonesia,
- Visits by Israeli citizens to Indonesia can only be made using regular passports, and
- Authorization for issuing visas to Israeli citizens is carried out by the Ministry of Law and Human Rights through the Directorate General of Immigration. Visas are granted as an affidavit through the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Singapore or the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Bangkok.
Regarding these regulations, Abdul Mu’ti affirmed that anyone displaying the Israeli flag in Indonesia has violated the law and the Constitution.
Mu’ti urged law enforcement authorities to act decisively and consistently with applicable law if there is any support shown to Zionist entities through the display of the Israeli flag in Indonesia,
“The police can take legal actions as prescribed,” said Mu’ti.
