Why Won't Indonesia Talk to Israel over Flotilla Activists?

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that it did not engage in communication with Israel regarding the repatriation of Indonesian activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla. This is because Indonesia does not have diplomatic relations with and does not recognize the sovereignty of Israel.

According to the ministry's spokesperson Yvone Mewengkang, establishing direct contact with Israeli authorities is simply not possible. "Engaging in direct communication with Israel is not possible because we do not have diplomatic relations," Yvone said at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jakarta on Thursday, May 21, 2026.

Yvone explained that efforts to protect and repatriate the nine Indonesian nationals arrested by the Israeli military are being pursued through alternative means. She added that the Indonesian government is leveraging all available diplomatic channels to facilitate the repatriation process. The nine citizens had participated in the humanitarian solidarity mission organized by the Global Sumud Flotilla 2.0.

However, she stopped short of disclosing these efforts in order to uphold diplomatic principles. She emphasized that the government has instead engaged with friendly nations that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Israel.

Foreign Minister Sugiono has also coordinated closely with Turkey and Jordan. Both countries likewise had citizens participating in the same humanitarian mission. "We continue to make every effort to communicate through all channels via friendly countries, including the Global Sumud Flotilla secretariat," he said.

A similar point was echoed by Vahd Nabyl Achmad Mulachela, the Head of the Asia and Pacific Regional Policy Strategy Center. According to him, although both Indonesia and Israel are members of the Board of Peace (BoP), the lack of diplomatic recognition makes two-way communication incredibly difficult.

"Membership of both countries in the same organization does not reflect the existence of diplomatic relations between the two countries; being mutual members of the BoP does not mean we have diplomatic relations," Nabyl said.

Previously, Foreign Minister Sugiono assured that the nine Indonesian volunteers from the Gaza humanitarian flotilla who were released from an Israeli prison would safely return to Indonesia. The volunteers have left Israeli territory and arrived in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday, May 21, 2026, local time. They underwent several medical evaluations in Turkey before continuing their journey back to their homeland.

"The Indonesian government continues to coordinate with relevant parties to ensure the smooth repatriation process of all Indonesian citizens back to the country," Sugiono stated via his social media account X @menlu_ri, as reported by Antara on Friday, May 22, 2026.

Read: Indonesian FM Assures Safe Return of 9 Gaza Flotilla Activists

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