Israel to Deny Entry of Indonesian Tourists Starting June
Israel will deny entry to all Indonesian nationals starting June 9, according to Israeli officials including Emanuel Shahaf, vice chairman of the Israel-Indonesia Chamber of Commerce. The move comes after Indonesia began banning Israelis in response to recent conflicts in Gaza, as reported by Calcalist last week.
An official at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the details in a Wednesday message to Calcalist, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Indonesia"s capital city Jakarta. Photo: Shutterstock
“The two countries are working together to make as much damage as possible,” he added.
According to Mr. Shahaf, while only several thousand Israelis visit Indonesia each year, the number of Indonesian tourists in Israel amounts to about 40,000 yearly.
On Tuesday, Israel bombed targets within the Gaza Strip after dozens of rockets and mortar bombs were fired at the country by Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants. After the aerial attacks, Palestinian Dawood Shihab, a spokesman for the Islamic Jihad, announced that a truce has been reached aided by Egyptian mediators. Israeli officials denied the truce, but according to various reports, hostilities have come to a halt since early Wednesday.
The situation in Gaza began escalating in late March, as tens of thousands of Palestinians began marching towards the border to Israel, which is protected by a fence, in a series of protests dubbed the “Great March of Return.” Over 110 Palestinians were killed and thousands more injured in clashes between protesters and the Israeli military according to the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza.
Earlier this month, a Hamas official claimed that of the Palestinian casualties, 50 were Hamas members, while a spokesman for the Islamic Jihad said three of the casualties were members of its military wing.
In a column published last week in the Wall Street Journal, Israeli military spokesman Ronen Manelis accused Hamas of hiring civilians as “extras”, paying $14 per capita and $100 per family for attending the protests, and upping that to $500 if injuries are sustained during confrontations.
The incidents have brought about international criticism against Israel with Turkey temporarily expelling the Israeli ambassador, and the UN Human Rights Council voting in favor of investigating Israeli actions against protestors. The U.S. and Australia were the only two countries to vote against the decision.
The decision to ban Israeli visitors came after long negotiations between the two countries, regarding the issuance of individual tourist visas to Israelis, which were nearing their final stage in early May, Mr. Shahaf stated at the time.
Bài viết cùng chuyên mục
Japanese tourist dies climbing Australia Uluru
A Japanese tourist has died attempting to climb Australian tourist attraction Uluru, police said Wednesday, adding to the death toll on the world"s largest monolith.
France struggles with tourist numbers as it attracts record number of holidaymakers
A charm offensive to woo back tourists frightened off by terror attacks in Paris and Nice has been so successful that France is now struggling to cope with record numbers of visitors.
Distraught relatives identify victims of sunken Thai tourist boat; 42 bodies recovered
Distraught relatives descended on a Thai hospital on Sunday (July 8) as many waited for news of missing family members who disappeared when a tourist boat sank in rough weather, killing dozens of Chinese passengers.
Shimla residents ask tourists to stay away as water crisis worsens
Many netizens also voiced fears of the heli-taxi service between Chandigarh and Shimla, set to be launched on June 4, further increasing the tourist burden on the hill town. Shimla received just 18 million litres of water per day against the demand for 45 on Tuesday.
End of the line for New Forest Beach Bus for tourists
A summer tourist bus route serving the Solent coast and New Forest National Park has been withdrawn due to falling passenger numbers.
Tourist used fake card to pay Dh130,000 hotel bill
Dubai: Dubai Police have arrested a tourist who booked a luxury hotel suite for Dh130,000, using a fake credit card.
