Indonesia's NU Members Meeting with Israeli President: Nationwide Reactions
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16 July 2024 16:25 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Photos circulating on social media shared by Ismail Fahmi on his X account @ismailfahm allegedly show five Nahdliyin or Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) members meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
The photo shared by Ismail was a screenshot of @zenmaarif Instagram account where the entourage met Herzog at the Israeli President's palace to discuss the “Hamas-Israel conflict” and relations between Indonesia and Israel.
The upload sparked widespread criticism, including several figures.
PBNU talks of possible dismission
PBNU Secretary General Saifullah Yusuf, also known as Gus Ipul, confirmed that the five individuals, including Zainul Maarif and Munawir Aziz, would be summoned for questioning.
“They will be summoned for questioning regarding their purposes, background, parties who sent them, and other principal matters,” Gus Ipul said in a statement on Monday, July 15.
He stressed that PBNU did not authorize the meeting. Therefore, if NU regulations are violated, these five members could be dismissed from their administrative positions within the organization.
The meeting between NU members and President Herzog, he went on, was unwise amid the ongoing tensions between Israel and Palestine. Moreover, it contradicted NU's stance of condemning Israeli continuous attacks on Gaza.
He also said PBNU would summon leaders of the NU autonomous body where these five members serve. They are expected to take responsibility for their members' actions.
President Jokowi reaffirmed Indonesia’s position on the conflict
President Joko Widodo or Jokowi refused to comment much about the meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. "Just ask PBNU,” said President Jokowi before departing for the United Arab Emirates from Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base, Jakarta, on Tuesday, July 16, 2024.
However, President Jokowi emphasized that Indonesia's position on the Israel-Palestine conflict is clear, as per the Preamble to the 1945 Constitution. "Indonesia will always participate toward establishing a world order based on freedom, perpetual peace, and social justice. That’s what we will strive to uphold,” Jokowi said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment
The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the meeting between the five NU members with President Herzog. The ministry said the visit was not related to the official position of the Indonesian government on the conflict.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not in a position to comment regarding this visit, which is not related in any way with the official position of the Indonesian Government," said Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Roy Soemirat in a text to journalists on Monday, July 15, 2024.
