PBNU Asks NU Cadres To Visit Israel To Choose To Resign Or Be Fired

A number of NU cadres visiting Israel (@nuindonesia)

JAKARTA - Secretary General of the Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board (PBNU) Saifullah Yusuf or familiarly called Gus Ipul asked five NU cadres who had met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog to immediately choose between resigning or being dismissed from the NU management. "The choice is to resign or resign from the organization. So, I ask them to immediately choose," said Gus Ipul in a written statement received in Jakarta, Thursday, July 18. According to him, the dismissal of the five people from the management within NU can be considered as a lesson so that in the future there will be no more similar incidents.

The PBNU asked the agency and the autonomous body in question to take action against the violation with two options resigning or being dismissed, "he said. So far, he said, PBNU General Chairperson KH Yahya Cholil Staquf or familiarly called Gus Yahya has summoned one of the five NU cadres, while four others have been summoned by the heads of institutions and autonomous bodies where they are administrators. One person has been questioned by the head directly and the rest has been questioned by the head of each institution," he said. Gus Ipul said that from the tabayun results previously carried out, it was known that the departure of the five cadres to Israel was in personal name and did not represent an institution at all. Their departure to Israel was financed by an NGO which in his invitation listed an interim dialogue agenda, there was no schedule to meet the President of Israel. They reasoned that the departure was aimed at contributing to creating peace between Israel and Hamas.

Regarding this action, said Gus Ipul, the five NU cadres have admitted to being wrong. Even so, their departure still violates NU's provisions.

"Even though they have apologized for leaving without permission and notification, this departure violates the provisions, let alone cooperation or commitment to cooperation with foreign parties must have PBNU's permission," he said.

To note, as many as five nahdliyin visited Israeli President Isaac Herzog and their photos went viral on social media. The five people came from a number of institutions under the auspices of PBNU, such as Fatayat NU, Central Executive (PP) Pagar Nusa NU, Nahdlatul Ulama Indonesia University (Unusia), and the Banten Nahdlatul Ulama Regional Management (PWNU).