BeritaBali and CNNIndonesia are examining how Israeli nationals manage to open and operate businesses in Bali, even though Indonesia and the State of Israel have no formal diplomatic relations. Nonetheless, Israel and Indonesia continue to maintain quiet trade, tourism, and security contacts, with Israelis able to visit Bali and the rest of Indonesia using “on-call business visas” sponsored by Indonesians.
More recently, relations between Indonesia and Israel have worsened with the commencement of the Gaza War in 2023, made even worse when Israel attacked and occupied an Indonesian hospital in Gaza.
Indonesia officially supports Palestine.
Recent reports that Israeli nationals are living and operating businesses in Bali have attracted criticism and closer scrutiny of official immigration policies vis-à-vis citizens of the State of Israel. In response to this criticism, the Indonesian Ministry of Immigration and Correctional Affairs has pointed out that the process for Israeli nationals to enter Indonesia is not solely under the authority of the Immigration office.
Eko Budianto, the Ministry’s Director of Visas and Travel Documents, stated that the issuance of visas to Israeli nationals requires a verification and approval process involving multiple agencies.
According to Budianto, Israeli nationals wishing to enter Indonesia officially must obtain multiple approvals from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Attorney General’s Office, the National Police, the Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS), and the State Intelligence Agency (BIN).
Because of these complex requirements, relatively few official visas are obtained by Israeli nationals. Issuance is conducted selectively, involving various relevant parties.
Speaking on Wednesday, 12 August, Budianto emphasized that verification does not come solely from Immigration.
Eko Budianto revealed, however, that recent field checks by immigration officers discovered Israelis with dual citizenship living and running businesses in Bali. Many of these individuals do not use their Israeli passport when applying for visas or entering Indonesian territory.
What’s more, the State of Israel requires every Israeli citizen over the age of 18 who is Jewish, Druze, or Circassian to serve in the Israel Defense Forces. Because of this, there is a high probability that Israelis living and working in Bali have at some point borne arms against Palestinians living in Gaza.
Indonesian Hospital in Gaza Destroyed by Israeli Armed Forces
According to Eko, Israelis seeking to work and live in Bali typically use 2nd passports from other countries when applying to Indonesian immigration authorities. Adding: “This is an issue abroad; generally, Israeli nationals—sometimes—possess other citizenships,” he noted.
Some of the 2nd passports found during Indonesian immigration inspections of Israelis living in Bali were from Portugal, Germany, and Greece.
Under the “on-call visa” policy, entry into Indonesia for Israeli passport holders requires special approval before a visa can be issued.
The presence of Israeli nationals working and living in Indonesia has recently become a “hot topic” on the Instagram Account @shiftmedia.id.
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